“Can I… um… strangle you?”
“…”
I was so caught off guard by the unexpected request that my thoughts momentarily froze.
Strangle me?
I couldn’t grasp the intention behind it, leaving me dazed.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Ah… That was too abrupt, wasn’t it? Actually, I’m still testing the performance of my healing ability. I think I’ve figured out how it activates and its limitations. But there’s still one mystery left.”
“And that mystery leads you to… strangling me?”
“When I first awakened my ability—when I healed your neck—the output I achieved back then has never happened again. Even when my mana is at its maximum or when I’m in peak condition, I can’t match that power. So, I thought I should recreate the exact same situation from when I first used my ability and see if I can replicate that output.”
“Ah.”
Only then did I understand what Yuri meant, and I instinctively rubbed my neck.
The first time Yuri awakened her healing ability was when she healed my throat.
That injury… was from being strangled by Irene, leaving a bluish bruise on my neck.
So, to recreate the same situation, I would need to bruise my neck again…
Which is why she reached the rather absurd conclusion of strangling me herself.
“I guess it’s impossible, right…? I wouldn’t dare injure your body, Count…”
“No. I promised to help fully awaken your ability in exchange for binding you under contract. I can’t break that promise over something as trivial as not wanting to harm my body.”
“Ah, really!? Then it’s okay if I strangle you?”
“Uh… W-Well, yes…”
With her face lit up with joy, Yuri dashed toward me.
But… this girl…
Why does she look so excited?
She’s just happy that she found a way to maximize her ability, right?
There isn’t some other reason she’s thrilled about this… right?
“Ah, I’m too short…”
“Stand on a chair.”
“Okay. Then… I’ll begin…”
She dragged a chair over, knelt on it, and faced me.
Then, slowly…
Yuri reached out both hands toward my neck.
They were small, delicate hands that seemed weak at first glance.
But as the veins in her arms became visible, her grip strengthened in an instant.
Getting strangled by a child…
This feels weird.
When Irene strangled me, it didn’t feel strange since she was older.
But with Yuri… it somehow feels… sinful.
Like floating down a river in an inflatable tube when you’re not supposed to.
“Is this too unpleasant for you? If so, I can strangle you first, and then you can strangle me in return…”
“No, let’s just stick to you strangling me.”
“Ah, okay!”
Yuri made a dangerous suggestion, so I immediately shut it down before she could finish speaking.
Being strangled by a child is like dancing on the edge of a blade.
But me strangling a child would be the equivalent of pole-vaulting over the line.
Not only would my conscience never recover from that…
I might even incur the wrath of Kali, despite supposedly being blessed by the Evil Gods.
…Maybe after she grows up and gets engaged, it’d be a different story, but for now, absolutely not.
“Okay, then… I’ll really start now. Please let me know if it hurts too much, okay?”
“…”
Slowly…
Yuri cautiously placed her hands on my neck again.
Then, her fingers pressed deeper, applying strong pressure.
At first, I didn’t think much of it.
But now, it was actually quite frightening.
This girl can break firewood with her bare hands—it’s no wonder I’m scared.
As I bit my lip nervously…
Her grip tightened, and breathing became more difficult.
“If it hurts, make sure to tell me, okay?”
I don’t know about pain… but my vision is definitely starting to blur.
My blood flow slowed, making my body feel heavy.
I could feel my consciousness gradually fading.
This is dangerous.
I needed to open my mouth and say something quickly.
“…!”
But I couldn’t feel my lips, and I couldn’t speak.
Oh no.
Am I seriously going to die at the hands of a 15-year-old girl?
Would this be considered an honorable death in some way?
Just as I was about to lose consciousness—
“Khrrghh…!”
“Ah! You were supposed to tell me if it hurt!”
“How was I supposed to say anything while being strangled…?”
“Ah.”
Thanks to Yuri finally letting go, I narrowly avoided crossing the River Styx.
I had almost lost my grip on reality.
As I gasped for breath and rubbed my throat, Yuri panicked, looking utterly flustered and at a complete loss for what to do.
“I’m sorry, Count… I tried to control my strength…”
“It’s fine. I assume this was your first time strangling someone, so mistakes are understandable.”
“Ah, no. I’ve done it multiple times while on duty…”
“…?”
“But I really did go easy on you, Count… Actually, I had just placed my hands on your neck and was about to apply real pressure when I noticed your reaction was strange. So, just in case, I let go… Turns out, it was a good thing I did.”
“…”
She wasn’t even fully strangling me.
She had merely wrapped her hands around my neck to hold it in place… and I nearly passed out?
I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
I was aware of the massive difference in strength between me and these children.
But I didn’t expect it to be this drastic.
Yuri also seemed to have just realized the disparity, her expression even more bewildered than before.
“You’re… much weaker than I thought…”
“…?”
Slowly, Yuri swallowed hard while rubbing my neck.
Wait… what’s with that look in her eyes?
And why are her cheeks turning slightly red?
I can’t help but worry… Did she just awaken some kind of dangerous preference?
“I’ll be more gentle this time, so should I try strangling you again?”
“Are you here just to strangle me? I think the bruising is sufficient, so there’s no need to do it twice.”
“Ah. Aah. Right. Once is enough… Yes…”
She had been about to place her hands on my neck again as if in a trance.
But then she snapped out of it, quickly withdrawing her hands.
At some point, she had gotten so absorbed in the act of strangling me that she completely forgot the original purpose.
Feeling guilty, Yuri lowered her head and clamped her lips shut.
After a short wait, my neck gradually turned a deep shade of blue.
Finally, the conditions were set for the experiment.
“Now, use your ability. If it still doesn’t reach maximum output, we’ll need to test other variables—perhaps the time of day or the temperature…”
“Ugh, I really hope I don’t have to go that far… I just want it to work this time…”
Yuri’s hands, trembling slightly, gently touched my neck.
Unlike earlier, her touch was soft and careful.
Closing her eyes, she seemed to concentrate deeply.
“Hnngh…!”
With a sharp exhale, her eyes snapped open.
A bright white light radiated from my neck as the healing ability activated.
Since I had no way to measure the output myself, I waited for Yuri’s reaction.
A moment later, she burst out in excitement.
“S-Success! This is the first time since my initial awakening that I’ve reached maximum output! No, it’s even higher than before!”
“I’m glad it worked on the first try.”
“Yes! Thank you so much, Count!”
“But we still don’t know the exact condition that triggered maximum output.”
“Ah!?”
She had managed to reproduce maximum output…
But we hadn’t figured out why it worked this time when it hadn’t before.
Without identifying the cause, she wouldn’t be able to reliably use her ability at full power.
“You’re right…”
“Then the only way to find out is to recreate the same situation while altering individual variables to see which one makes a difference.”
“Then, should I try stepping on your neck instead of using my hands?”
“…Let’s move on from strangulation, shall we?”
To pinpoint the exact condition, we decided to change the type of injury being healed.
First, I made a small cut on my hand with a utility knife.
“Ah! Maximum output!”
Success.
Next, my arm.
“Maximum output again!”
Another success.
Then my leg, knee, back…
“Huh? Maximum output again…”
“Still maximum output.”
“Again… maximum output…”
Every single test succeeded.
The so-called “maximum output,” which had never happened before, was now occurring consistently with every attempt.
We had changed multiple variables…
Yet there was one single factor that remained constant throughout every trial.
“Ah, so that means…”
“Congratulations. You’ve discovered the condition for maximum output. It seems that your ability operates at full power only when healing me.”
“…!”
The key factor was the target of the healing.
It was now officially confirmed—Yuri’s ability functions at its strongest when used on me.
