[V2C5] Technique from Doris at Madam Cassandra's Manor

Jeffery, who was polishing glasses at the counter of Kirk’s Tavern, placed a small plate of snacks in front of his childhood friend, Greg, who was slumped over the counter with a gloomy face.

“Come on, Greg. Don’t be so down. You may look like a villain, but I know you’re a good guy.”

“Ugh, ugh, but still… but still…”

The villain-like Greg covered his reddened face with both hands and started sobbing.

“That girl who came in the afternoon, she looked like she was about to cry when she saw my face… making such a small girl cry, I… I feel like I’m dying from guilt.”

“Yeah, yeah, ‘Isabelle-sama hasn’t done anything wrong.’ She may be small, but it’s pretty admirable how desperately she wanted to protect her master… There’s no doubt she fell for me.”

Jeffery, speaking in a cheerful tone, was the hawk-nosed dandy who had played the role of the fourth Silent Witch during the day.

Jeffery played the role of the righteous Silent Witch, while Greg played the role of the defeated villain. Since the two were childhood friends, their performances were perfectly coordinated.

However, despite Greg’s villainous appearance, he was a kind-hearted man who loved children more than anyone else. Therefore, it pained him every time he frightened a child during the act.

The blacksmith Gordon, who was drinking alongside Greg, tilted his glass and laughed heartily.

“Haha, that little girl loved my chantless magic. In this rural place, there aren’t many opportunities to see magic, so she must have been quite amazed.”

“No, pretty sure she was surprised by your booming voice, Gordon-san. What was that, ‘Kyaeee!’ thing? It definitely didn’t sound like a magical incantation. More like a war cry.”

“Grr, then what about all your meaningless staff swinging?”

“What else am I supposed to do? There aren’t many people in this country who have seen chantless magic, you know?”

Jeffery pursed his lips and started preparing the next dish. At that moment, the bell at the entrance rang.

The customer was the most beautiful woman in the village, Lyla. Standing next to her was the still-young Norman.

Norman said, “I came to deliver drinks!” and placed the bottles on the counter.

Although Norman was only twelve, he had lost his parents to an epidemic a few years ago, becoming an orphan with no relatives to take him in. The other villagers took turns taking care of Norman, and he happened to be under Lyla’s care tonight.

Greg loved children, so he smiled kindly at Norman.

“Hey, Norman. Today you’re helping out Lyla-neesan, huh? That’s great, but it’s time for kids to go to bed.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go to bed properly once I’m done helping… Besides, everyone in the village has helped me a lot, so I want to repay you all.”

At the sight of the earnest Norman, Greg started getting sentimental and sniffled.

Lyla, who brought Norman along, sat at the counter and ordered a drink.

“Hah… There was a super handsome guy among the customers who came today, so I tried inviting him… But he’s probably not coming. That’s what my woman’s intuition says.”

Gordon chuckled at the gloomy Lyla with an alcohol-scented breath.

“Hahaha, yeah that guy was indeed pretty handsome.”

“Ah, yes, he was so hot. He seemed used to having fun, and at first, I thought I had a chance… but, you know, he gives off an atmosphere like he’s already interested in someone. You get what I mean, right?”

Lyla rested her chin on her hand with a pouting expression, as Jeffery placed a glass of booze on the counter with a sophisticated gesture.

“But Sis, you’ve got me, don’t you?”

“Save your sleep talking for bedtime.”

“Sis…~!”

Jeffery was quite serious about Lyla, infatuated even, but Lyla paid him no mind.

Gordon laughed heartily at the exchange between Jeffery and Lyla, while Greg handed candy to Norman.

This was a common sight in Sechen Village.

Suddenly, the bell at the entrance jingled again.

The one who entered the shop wasn’t a villager. He wasn’t even one of the visitors who came for the hot springs during the day.

He was a neatly dressed, tall, red-haired man.

“Hmm-mmm-mmm. Coming in.”

The man spoke with a hum, surveying the interior of the tavern.

Jeffery greeted the man in a friendly manner.

“Hey, must have been pretty cold outside, right? What can I get you?”

In response to Jeffery’s words, the red-haired man lifted the corners of his lips and smirked.

“I’ll have the Silent Witch.”

＊　＊　＊

Monica quietly descended from the bed, changed her clothes without making a sound, and left the room.

The rooms were divided into two: one for Isabelle, Agatha, and Monica, and one for Isaac in the adjacent room. Isabelle would have her own room in a first-class inn, but safety concerns in this rural inn necessitated this arrangement.

Monica snuck outside, taking soft steps to avoid waking Isabelle and Agatha.

(I have to talk to the village chief in secret…)

Although she told Isaac and Isabelle to resolve things peacefully, the discussion may turn confrontational once they arrive. In that case, Monica honestly felt she wouldn’t be able to stop them.

Therefore, she decided to secretly handle the situation while Isaac and Isabelle were asleep.

She didn’t know if she could negotiate well, but if necessary, she was prepared to reveal her identity to settle the matter.

(But where is the village chief’s house… I should have searched for it during the daytime.)

Unlike the city, nights in the rural village were dark, and there were almost no people in sight.

Still, Monica could vaguely see a building with lights in the distance. It was probably some kind of tavern.

As Monica began walking to ask about the village chief there…

“Young lady, I can’t commend wandering around at night without an escort.”

She heard a somewhat familiar line.

Turning around with a start, she found Isaac leaning against the wall of the building, smiling at her.

Monica made a small gasp and turned to Isaac with a tense expression.

“I-I-I-I-Ike, wh-why… why…”

“We’re nighttime companions, aren’t we? Why didn’t you invite me?”

Isaac’s face was smiling beautifully, but his eyes were not.

This was bad. The tense Monica looked around, desperately seeking a way to get through this situation.

And so, one of the Seven Sages, the pinnacle of the country’s mages, came up with an excuse to navigate this situation with all their wit.

“Look, Ike, you’re heading to the shop of that beautiful lady we passed by earlier, right? I’d feel bad if I intruded, so…”

The smile vanished from Isaac’s face.

Isaac briskly approached the frozen Monica and grabbed her left wrist. It didn’t hurt, but the weak Monica couldn’t shake him off with her strength.

The unknown sensation sent a chill down Monica’s spine. It was the same as when her wrist was grabbed in the hallway earlier.

Monica knew that Isaac was kind. He wouldn’t harm her.

(Then why… Why did I feel scared of Ike?)

This must be the fear of the unknown.

Monica couldn’t comprehend the intense emotions Isaac harbored. She didn’t know the equation to understand it.

“Ah, it hurts,” muttered Isaac, his handsome face a bit distorted.

“Sometimes, I want to make you realize…”

“…Huh?”

“…I want you to know how much I care about you.”

Muttering so, Isaac lowered his gaze.

Monica, in her own way, desperately tried to think. She must have said something wrong to Isaac and hurt him.

She thought she needed to apologize. However, to do that, she had to understand what had hurt Isaac.

What did Isaac think of Monica? He often said he respected her as his master. Yes, Isaac had always respected and admired her.

How did Isaac feel when he was told by his respected master that he was going to the shop of a “beautiful lady”?

“I-I’m sorry, Ike, I don’t mean to imply that you’re unfaithful or anything!”

“…Huh?”

“I know you’re serious! You’re a good disciple, too good for me!”

“…”

Isaac looked at Monica’s face in silence for a while but eventually smiled as some tension was gone.

Still, he didn’t release her wrist.

“…Dang. It seems I got a little flustered.”

“Huh?”

Monica went wide-eyed at Isaac’s words.

Isaac was an incredibly talented person. He was intelligent, physically capable, and sociable. In a sense, he was a genius. He could remember most things after seeing them once and could reproduce them better than average.

Such a person said he was flustered about something.

(…Even Ike struggles with things.)

If Ike was troubled by something, Monica, as his friend and mentor, wanted to support him.

Monica tightened her face. This was the best “reliable mentor” face she could muster.

“Ike, is there something on your mind?”

At Monica’s question, Isaac let out a sigh filled with melancholy.

“The other day, I helped you when you fainted in the bath, right?”

Why did he bring up that topic out of the blue?

For Monica, it was an embarrassing memory.

Her “reliable mentor” face disappeared in an instant as Monica lowered her eyebrows.

“I-I caused you a lot of trouble, so I apologize…”

“You didn’t care at all despite being completely naked.”

“…?”

Certainly, when Monica almost drowned in the bath, she was carried out completely naked, covered only with a small cloth. But how was that related to Isaac’s worries?

Monica lacked any embarrassment about being seen naked, so Isaac’s concerns and the examples he presented didn’t quite connect for her.

(How about a mathematical explanation like “Prove that Isaac Walker’s concerns about Monica Everett’s actions are valid” or something…)

While Monica was earnestly contemplating such matters, Isaac chuckled.

“And on top of that, you mentioned staying at Marquis Highown’s house.”

“…?”

“Not only are you completely unaware of me, but then you tell me that you stayed at Cyril’s place. It seems that got me a bit flustered.”

“Um, Ike, Ike… does the principle of inclusion apply to that worry of yours?”

“…Huh?”

“Uh, the principle of inclusion is, you see, provable through the binomial theorem or mathematical induction…”

As Monica started babbling nonsense in her confusion, Isaac chuckled again.

“You tend to overthink things in your head. I think you’d understand faster if you felt it directly.”

Saying that, Isaac guided Monica’s hand, which he was holding, to his chest.

The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat was transmitted to Monica’s small palm. As Monica estimated the pace of his heartbeats, Isaac squinted his eyes with a wistful expression.

“I get excited when I’m with you, you know?”

(Is the increase in Ike’s heart rate related to this situation and his worries?)

Monica pondered.

First, she needed to record and graph Isaac’s normal and current heart rates. Additionally, she had to verify the current environment by recording factors like temperature and humidity.

Accurate measuring devices were required for that.

“A-All right, I get it. Let’s take this matter back for now and prepare measuring instruments to get accurate records for further verification. So, for now…”

“…By the way, where was my esteemed mentor planning to sneak off to in the middle of the night?”

Monica winced. The grip on her wrist tightened ever so slightly.

After a series of digressions, the conversation returned to the main topic. Still, Monica couldn’t possibly say something like, “I was planning to secretly talk to the village chief without Isaac and Isabelle knowing.” If she did, Isaac might get angry.

“Ike, as your mentor, I want to solve problems on my own… Please, let go of my hand.”

“What if I say no?”

Monica was troubled.

There were two ways she could neutralize Isaac using chantless magic. One was to send a weak electric shock to knock him unconscious. The other was to enclose him in a barrier to restrict his movement.

However, neither of these could be used while Isaac held Monica’s wrist. In this situation, she would hit herself with an electric shock, and she would trap herself with him if she cast a barrier.

…Perhaps Isaac understood that, and that’s why he continued holding onto Monica’s wrist.

(To neutralize Ike and go to the village chief’s house… I need him to let go of my hand…)

However, Monica couldn’t shake off Isaac’s grip with her limited strength.

As Monica bit her lip, wondering what to do, the face of a woman she had once met in the entertainment district flashed in her mind.

——His weak point is… Remember that well.

Monica resolved herself and looked up at Isaac’s face.

“Ike, I apologize in advance… but I know your weakness.”

“Oh? What kind of weakness is that?”

Isaac remained composed until Monica embraced him head-on, which made him freeze with his eyes widened. Nevertheless, his hand holding Monica’s left wrist remained firm.

“Moni…”

“Ey!”

Interrupting Isaac, Monica extended her freely moving right hand and… tickled Isaac’s side.

“…! Hah!”

Isaac’s body twitched, and his grip finally loosened.

Quickly taking advantage of the opportunity to shake off Isaac, Monica created a barrier around him. Not a defensive barrier, but one designed to confine.

As the astonished Isaac was confined by the barrier, Monica declared.

“Doris at Madam Cassandra’s Manor said your sides are your weakpoint.”

“…”

“I-I’ll go talk to the village chief, so Ike, please stay here!”

Having said that, Monica swiftly ran away with clumsy steps.

Left behind, Isaac muttered, “I’ve been had…” and fell to his knees.

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