Published at 7th of January 2021 08:21:03 AM
Chapter 96
“It was Neil from the Johnson family,” Duke says simply .
… . . Who? I’m assuming he’s a noble, but I have no idea who that is . I’ve never heard of the Johnson family .
“Who is… . Neil?” Alicia asks, blinking in surprise at Duke .
So she doesn’t know who he is either . Inwardly, I feel relieved . How shameful would it be if I was the only one who stupidly didn’t know?
“The Johnson family . You know, the one’s who use earth magic… . . ?” Henry supplies .
Alicia just looks at him blankly .
“Come on, you remember, don’t you? He was that guy from Liz’s group that you saw at the tea party… . the one that called you a b*tch,” continues Henry . He seems surprised but also amused that we had no clue who the guy was .
But that last bit . Right, I remember that guy . He was that loud-spoken idiot who had no idea what he was saying… . One of Liz Cather’s fanatical groupies .
“So, thinking that I was just an eyesore to Liz-san, he decided to get rid of me?” Alicia suggests . She sounds absolutely delighted .
… . I guess, in her own way, Alicia is also a bit of an idiot . It’s written all over her face, ‘I’ve become such a good villainess that people actually want to kill me off!’ But to be that happy about being put into a gravely dangerous situation… . isn’t smart . That’s pretty stupid, Alicia .
“Ali, this isn’t something to be happy about,” Henry admonishes her, letting out a small sigh .
I had thought there was a deeper scheme in the works here, but I guess I was wrong . Obsessive, lovestruck fools are just more dangerous than I initially thought .
I glance at Duke and our eyes meet . It’s probably the first time we’ve actually looked at each other like this . Just from his gaze I can tell how intelligent he is .
“I’m Gilles . ”
Without even thinking about it, the words slip out . Since I was born, this is the first time I’ve ever taken the initiative to introduce myself first .
All three of them stare at me . They look equally as surprised as I am at my sudden introduction .
The murderous light in Duke’s eyes finally fades away as he replies, “I’m Duke,” a small smile forming on his face .
His face is so pretty that even a man like me could end up charmed by it .
“Gilles, you’re quite sharp . ”
“He’s my assistant, you know?”
Alicia’s reply is immediate, her voice sounds triumphant, boastful . It makes my chest feel warm .
So Alicia’s proud of me? To think that one fact would make me this happy… . This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever felt this way before . My heart feels full to the brim and I feel like my eyes might start welling up with tears .
It was only a couple of years ago when I wouldn’t have cared if every noble on the planet just died . No, it was worse than that . I wanted them gone . I wanted them completely eradicated .
But it’s different now . I know some genuinely decent nobles and there are even a few that I actually want to live . Alicia, Henry, and even Duke . I’m happy that they are still alive, and that I’ll be able to see them live and grow .
“As I thought, it just doesn’t make any sense…”
Looking at these three truly intelligent and insightful nobles, I can’t help but voice my doubts . All three of them look at me in confusion .
“I mean, just because she’s the saintess, she’s supposedly going to save the world… . ? At this rate, I doubt she even has the ability to bring peace to our country, let alone the whole world . ”
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At my words, Alicia’s eyes fly wide open . Henry and Duke however look like they agree with my opinion .
“Since Liz Cather and all of her followers are nothing but complete morons, I just can’t imagine them achieving anything of that magnitude,” I continue coldly .
Alicia may not seem to mind, but I’m still outraged that Liz Cather and her dunderheaded worshippers basically tried to kill her . Intentional or not, Alicia was inches, mere inches, away from dying .
“Did you just casually insult my brothers along with the rest of Liz-san’s admirers?”
“Yeah . I guess,” I say .
Alicia’s expression relaxes a bit .
“Love really is a frightening thing,” she replies cryptically, smiling . For some reason, she looks kind of happy about it .
Her expression looks so sweet and cute right now, I almost can’t believe she looked like a crazed killer up until a couple of minutes ago .
Since no one’s saying anything, I take the opportunity to ask something that I’ve been wondering about for a while .
“Alicia, how were you able to stab that guy so easily through the heart in just one blow?”
Alicia stiffens at my sudden question . Her eyes turn far away as she seems to ponder it for a moment .
Henry and Duke also seem fairly taken-aback by my words . They probably never imagined that she’d be able to kill someone with only one stab through the heart .
Alicia’s face turns troubled, as if she’s wondering whether or not to explain it to us . But then she sighs lightly and resignation floods her eyes .
“The truth is that it was pure luck . I knew the general position of the heart in the body thanks to one of the books that I read in the past, so I kept that knowledge in mind while I was fighting with them . But I didn’t think that I’d be able to hit my mark in one go… . I was actually quite relieved when I realized that I hadn’t missed . ”
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Her explanation is so unexpected that I’m speechless . Alicia truly is unlike anyone else . To think a young noblewoman could accomplish something like that with only a rudimentary understanding of human anatomy learned purely from books… . It’s incredible .
Henry and Duke can’t seem to decide whether to be surprised or impressed .
“Isn’t it about time that we leave this hut?” Alicia asks while glancing outside, either ignoring or oblivious to our reactions .
Oh . I forgot . Liz Cather and her lot are still waiting outside .
“You’re right,” agrees Duke . He lightly snaps his fingers and then the wall dissolves into the air as if it never existed in the first place .
I started noticing this a while ago, but there seems to be two types of magic: spells that require the caster to snap and spells that don’t . Since Alicia snaps no matter what spell she’s casting, I didn’t initially realize there was such a distinction, but neither Henry nor Duke snapped their fingers before casting the healing magic on us… . .
As someone who can’t use magic, the whole system still kind of baffles me .
“Then, shall we?”
“Eh!? What are you–!?”
Henry and Alicia’s voices overlap . Or should I say, Alicia’s startled cry practically drowns out Henry’s relaxed agreement .
Before I had realized, Duke had lifted Alicia with his good arm and nestled her there .
“Please put me down . ”
“But you’re injured . ”
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“I can walk just fine on my own . ”
“Don’t make a fuss . I might drop you if you move too much . ”
Alicia is struggling in Duke’s hold with her face beet red . The blush stretches all the way to her ears . It’s my first time seeing Alicia making an embarrassed expression .
Today I got to see so many new sides to her that I’ve never seen before .
Duke looks secretly happy with her response as well . Though, that’s deep down . Mainly, he looks truly concerned for Alicia’s wellbeing .
“Gilles, you too . Just be good and hold still,” Henry tells me, and this time it’s my turn to be picked up .
“Hah? I can walk by myself . ”
“Says the kid whose legs were broken,” retorts Henry, smiling a bit sadistically . He’s definitely enjoying my discomfort .
Compared to him, a guy with a couple of years on me and who has been training his body since young, I don’t have any openings to resist . But I try anyway . I squirm and kick my feet… . which are moving again? Since when did my legs recover? It almost feels like they were never broken in the first place .
… . . Magic really is amazing . Once again, I’m awed by its abilities .
“My legs are fi–“
“Fine~ . Sure they are . Cause my magic was what fixed them! But you should still let them rest,” Henry cuts me off before I can even finish speaking . He winks at me and grins in a teasing manner .
I can tell from his eyes that he’s actually worried for me though . So I stop arguing and just let him carry me . Having someone worry over you… . . isn’t all that bad .
Then finally the four of us exit the hut .