[V2C9] The Heart-Pounding Reason

The position of village chief in Sechen Village rotated annually.

Simon, the elderly man serving as the village chief this year, cared more about his woodworking than his role as chief. He was currently preoccupied creating a new set of wooden carvings.

Early in the morning, he was visited by a young lady with distinctive orange curls, seemingly a tourist.

The timid Simon felt intimidated by the noble aura emanating from the young lady, but reluctantly listened to her.

“Um, well, you say this is about… Norman and Minerva?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The uninvited visitor took out a document from her bag and handed it to the village chief.

Titled with the words “Letter of Recommendation,” the document recommended Norman as a scholarship student at Minerva.

When Simon looked at the signature on the recommendation, his eyes widened in disbelief.

The signature was that of the Silent Witch, Monica Everett.

She was the hero that Simon was diligently producing wooden carvings of.

As Simon went pale, the young lady glanced at the Silent Witch carvings, which were a prize in the stamp rally.

“I have connections to the Count of Lagott, the lord presiding over this region. If you immediately cease using the name of the Silent Witch in your business, I won’t inform the lord about this matter. However, if you refuse…”

Simon’s face began turning a shade of blue bordering on a sickly yellow.

“…You understand, right?”

The young lady pressured him with a smile. Simon nodded obediently.

Although it was regrettable that the village promotion plan would be ruined, offending the lord would make life even more difficult.

Simon drooped his shoulders dispiritedly and looked at the diligently crafted wooden figurines.

The hooded witch figurines had been made in the image of the Silent Witch. They were intended to be prizes in the stamp rally.

He was proud of their craftsmanship, but now they would go to waste.

As Simon gazed sadly at the wooden figurines, the young lady smiled.

“By the way, those wooden figures are lovely.”

“Oh, yes, I’ll make sure to dispose of them…”

Simon was displeased, but he could not defy the nobles. Meanwhile, the young lady brushed up her beautiful curls and arrogantly declared…

“Perfect as souvenirs. I’ll take them all at the asking price.”

＊　＊　＊

“Mmm, huh, huh, huh…?”

Waking up on a modest bed, Hubert was slightly surprised to see that he wasn’t restrained.

Furthermore, his magical tool rings had not been confiscated.

(Quite lax, aren’t they… Hmm?)

While doing a quick scan of his rings, Hubert quickly realized his misunderstanding.

The magical formulas engraved on Hubert’s rings had all been replaced with different ones.

The rings primarily had the sealing magic used on criminals. Additionally, there was a formula that prevented the rings from being removed for a certain period of time.

Since Hubert could no longer take off his rings, his magic had essentially been sealed until the enchantment wore off.

Hubert glanced at the rings again. Judging by the sun’s height, it was still morning.

(She couldn’t have made this overnight, could she?)

As Hubert continued to scrutinize the rings, the door to the room opened, and a burly man and a small black-haired boy entered. He had seen both in the tavern, so they were likely villagers who lived here.

The burly, bald-headed man grinned wickedly when he saw Hubert.

“Hey, buddy. You really did a number yesterday, huh? Until you compensate for the damages, you’ll be doing chores in this village for a while. Hope you can handle it!”

Despite the menacing approach of the burly man, Hubert’s demeanor remained unchanged.

Hubert sat cross-legged on the bed and casually cracked his neck.

“If it’s repair fees you’re looking for, I can give you as much as you want.”

Hubert’s family was wealthy, and he earned plenty of profits from his magical tool patents, so he had no financial troubles. The money he had on hand could easily cover the repair costs.

However, the bald man shook his large head in response to Hubert’s words.

“You don’t get it at all! Punishment for a brat like you involves hard labor! I heard you’re not only a magician, but also quite handy with your hands.”

Saying so, the bald-headed man took out a piece of paper from his pocket and thrust it toward Hubert.

The paper had a few lines written in familiar handwriting, reading as follows:


To Dee-senpai,

Please perform community service until the villagers forgive you.

Also, please teach Norman-kun. Thank you.


“…Who’s this Norman?”

“T-that’s me.”

The black-haired boy timidly raised his hand.

“I-I’ve been accepted to Minerva starting next year. But, I’ve only learned basic reading, writing, and arithmetic from the village…”

In such a remote village, it was natural for a child’s academic abilities to lag behind those attending schools in bigger towns. Moreover, Minerva was one of the country’s top-notch schools. He would never be able to keep up if he enrolled out of the blue.

Apparently, Monica wanted Hubert to give private lessons to this Norman boy.

(Oh, I see. You’ve conveniently got me, a guy who excelled in both practical and lecture classes at Minerva.)

Above all, Monica’s concern was probably whether Norman would be bullied by the nobles at Minerva, since he hailed from a rural village.

However, all Norman needed to say is, “My private tutor is none other than Hubert Dee,” and the problem would be instantly resolved. Anyone thinking of bullying Norman would back off, no questions asked.

His ruthless queen had run the calculations to this extent, intending to thoroughly exploit Hubert for everything he was worth.

“Hmm-mmm… sure. Yeah, not bad.”

Hubert hummed a happy tune while admiring the rings on his finger.

The sealing magic engraved onto the rings was essentially a collar. One that the Silent Witch had placed on her mad dog, Hubert Dee.

(The queen is leaving me with a homemade collar for some neglect play. Nice, very nice… She’s tempting me, isn’t she?)

It wouldn’t be bad to enjoy the queen’s punishment until the magic seal was lifted.

Hubert laughed joyously and kissed the rings on his fingers.

＊　＊　＊

The carriage arranged by Isabelle was waiting outside Sechen Village.

Isaac loaded all the luggage onto the carriage and, picking up the sleeping Monica from her bed in the inn, climbed aboard.

Monica, who had worked all night on modifying Hubert’s magical tools, had fallen asleep as soon as they were completed.

Her already not very rosy complexion now looked deathly pale, and prominent dark circles hung under her eyes.

Isaac sat on the carriage seat and gently laid Monica’s head on his lap.

“Good job today, my master.”

After running his fingers through her disheveled light brown hair, Isaac saw Monica’s pale eyelids quiver slightly, slowly lifting.

Her round eyes, appearing green or brown depending on the lighting, gazed vaguely at Isaac.

“…Ike, good morning… Where is this…?”

“We’re inside the carriage. It’s better to leave this place before Hubert Dee finds us. We’ll depart as soon as Miss Isabelle returns.”

The capable Isabelle took over negotiations with the village chief on behalf of Monica.

Isabelle’s maid, Agatha, efficiently nursed the villagers who had collapsed in the tavern that night. Those two ladies were indeed reliable.

Upon hearing Isaac’s explanation, Monica furrowed her brows.

“I still… have a long way to go, huh? I tried to behave like a cool master, but everyone keeps saving me instead.”

Muttering this, Monica sat up, slapping her own cheeks with both hands.

Though Monica seemed to think poorly of herself, watching her struggle to become a “cool master” filled Isaac with a mixture of affection and joy.

Isaac had indirectly hurt Monica, being responsible for the death of her father.

Therefore, he understood that he wasn’t in a position to wish for such things. But he couldn’t help wanting to be kept close, and perhaps… to have his hand accepted.

“Hey, Monica. Regarding the upcoming winter break…”

If you’re okay with it, would you like to visit my mansion? But before Isaac could finish his sentence, Monica put on a bit of a drowsy smile.

“Oh, yes. This year’s winter break, I’ll be staying at Count Kerbeck’s mansion. Isabelle-sama kindly invited me.”

“…I see, that sounds fun.”

“Yes. The next time I meet you will be during the New Year’s ceremony.”

Although they were returning to Monica’s Sazandol residence, Isaac would have to return to his own territory immediately afterward. There was a pile of work that needed to be settled before the winter break.

He wouldn’t be able to see Monica for a while. Sighing at the loneliness that would bring, Isaac felt a small tug on the hem of his clothes.

“Um, Ike…”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Um, while working on making magical tools… last night, I kept thinking about what you said, the reason why you were excited… why your heart was beating so fast.”

Isaac’s heart jumped.

He knew Monica was insensitive to matters like this. Still, he wanted her to notice, to understand.

——How much he yearned for her.

Monica clenched her fists atop her lap.

Then, looking up at Isaac with a serious expression, she spoke.

“The cause of your increased heart rate was…”

“Yeah?”

“…You’ve caught a cold!”

“…”

“That must be because it was so cold last night. I knew you should have properly dried your wet hair. Anyway, when we get back, drink some herbal tea, warm up, and… Ow! I-I-Ike! Don’t pinch my cheek… It hurts…!”

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