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I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women Chapter 204

Gift Offensive (3)

“No way. You… You keep appearing in my dreams. It’s clearly a memory from my childhood, but you show up there as an adult.”

“…”

 

Irene pushed me against the wall, her hands pinning my shoulders, her knee wedged between my legs to immobilize me.

 

I had no escape.

 

All I could do was face Irene head-on. Her direct questioning made my lips tremble with tension.

 

“What are you talking about?”

“Well… Ugh… It’s just… There’s something. Memories from my past keep surfacing in my dreams, and the man who appears there looks like you. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“It’s just a dream, isn’t it? Aren’t you overthinking it?”

“Are you absolutely sure? You didn’t tamper with my dreams or anything like that?”

“I’ve never even heard of such a thing being possible.”

“… Are you really telling the truth?”

 

Irene eyed me suspiciously, her sharp gaze not letting up.

 

Was she seriously suspecting that I’d interfered in her dreams?

 

Well, I suppose it made sense.

Without any prior knowledge, it’d be impossible to imagine that I had traveled back in time and met Irene as a child.

 

‘What do I even say to her…?’

 

When the Empress found out about me, it was relatively easy to handle.

 

I simply explained that I had traveled to the past, acquired the Spirit’s Eye, and helped her as a child when she was dealing with her misanthropy. It was nothing more, nothing less.

Because of that, I was left with a debt of gratitude in her eyes. But things with Irene were different.

 

With Irene, I had let something slip. I had carelessly said that someone she could trust and rely on would appear one day—or rather, that I would be that person.

There’s no way Irene could ever imagine that “someone to trust and rely on” would turn out to be Aslan.

Back then, Aslan had been just a kid—and one of the very people who had pushed Irene into despair.

 

That promise wasn’t made by Aslan but by me, the one who had taken over Aslan’s body.

But to explain that, I would have to reveal that I wasn’t originally from this world and had been reincarnated here.

 

‘I haven’t told anyone about the possession. I need to be cautious.’

 

This wasn’t a decision I could make impulsively.

 

Even Charlotte, Julia, and Sylvia—who were closest to me—didn’t know the truth.

Should I tell anyone?

 

If so, how? And what kind of impact would it have? I had no way to predict any of it.

 

“Fine. For now, I’ll let it slide since I don’t have any concrete proof. After all, I can’t just beat up my little brother without evidence, especially not after receiving such a generous gift…”
“Understood, Sister.”
“Still, you’d better prepare yourself. Think of some excuses. I might uncover all your secrets soon enough.”
“Yes…”

 

Irene released me and smirked, patting my cheek. Her touch sent chills down my spine, and I stiffened in place.

Regaining my composure, I quickly fled and climbed into the carriage.

 

Inside, Sylvia, who had been munching on bread, lit up as if she’d been waiting for me.

The sight of her smiling face momentarily reignited my frustration.

 

“Welcome back, my Lord.”
“How could you just stand by while your lord was getting manhandled? Aren’t you supposed to be a Sword Master? You couldn’t even react at that speed?”
“I didn’t fail to react; I chose not to. Lady Irene showed no intent to harm you, so I stayed out of it.”
“And what about this bruise on my neck? How do you explain that?”
“Think of it as a mark of sibling affection. Like the brand connecting you and me, my Lord.”
“…”

 

Sylvia smiled sweetly as she loosened her collar to reveal the brand on her neck.

Her innocent grin left me speechless. Technically, she wasn’t wrong.

This bruise could be easily healed by asking Yuri, after all…

 

“So, now that you’re a Sword Master, you can sense people’s intentions? You used to react so sharply whenever someone even approached me.”
“Yes. It’s hard to explain, but it’s as if I can see a very brief glimpse of the immediate future. With enough information, I can predict an opponent’s next move. My reaction speed is fast enough to make it seem like I’m seeing the future.”
“Impressive…”

 

Was this similar to how boxers predict their opponent’s moves by watching their shoulders?

A Sword Master seemed to possess not just extraordinary speed but also the ability to anticipate actions, giving them an almost precognitive edge.

No wonder the gap between a Sword Master and an ordinary swordsman was immense.

 

“Is this ability always active, or does it drain you over time?”
“As long as I’m maintaining my Aura, it seems to be constantly active. So far, I haven’t experienced any strain. Since first activating my Aura, I haven’t turned it off once, my Lord.”
“Then it’s safe to assume it doesn’t come with any burden.”
“Yes, I believe so.”
“What happens if you deactivate your Aura now?”
“Hm. Let me try.”

 

From the moment Sylvia first activated her aura, it had been about a week.

 

Even when she fell asleep and lost consciousness, her aura never deactivated.

 

This suggested that aura functioned autonomously, much like the heart.

 

But what would happen if she consciously deactivated her aura?

 

Tilting her head in curiosity, Sylvia tightly shut her eyes.

 

“Aura, deactivate!”
“…!?”
“Ah?”

 

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is startled, exclaiming that our escort has suddenly become adorable again!]

 

At that moment, Sylvia’s body began to shrink rapidly…

Sylvia’s frame shrank dramatically, her once perfectly fitting clothes now hanging loosely on her.

 

It was reminiscent of the time when she had been reverted to a younger form due to the side effects of mana corrosion.

 

Yes, this was exactly the same as back then.

 

“W-What is going on? Why did I revert back…?”
“Your aura is acting as a substitute for your mana detection organs. It seems that when it’s deactivated, the side effects return.”
“Oh! That makes sense! Then I’ll quickly—”
“Wait. Hold on for a moment.”
“Yes, my Lord?”

 

Confused but obedient, the now-childlike Sylvia stood still. I approached her, leaned in, and sniffed the top of her head.

 

The scent was no different from when she was in her adult form…

Strange. Why had I thought her scent was sweeter when she was in her younger form?

I had been certain it was different back then, but now, upon comparison, it was clearly the same.

 

“Seems like visual input caused your brain to perceive it differently…”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“Never mind. You can reactivate your aura now. Let’s head back to the estate.”
“Understood, my Lord.”

 

Still… this means I can bring child Sylvia back whenever I want…?
My pupils quivered, and I swallowed instinctively.
…Couldn’t I raise Sylvia as a potential bride this way?

.

.

.

Hah… I didn’t even ask for this… What’s with all of this?”

 

Irene let out a deep sigh, though she couldn’t quite wipe the smile off her face.

 

The underground facilities, once an illegal hideout, had been transformed into a highly secure storage area.

Inside, it was filled with glimmering treasures—resources to fund the newly established Vermont Investment Firm.

 

Ten percent of these assets were allocated to Irene as the appointed professional manager.

She still felt as though she were dreaming.

 

“After all that, he still trusts me like this…?”

 

Her feelings toward Aslan had been nothing but hatred.

She had lived solely with the purpose of overthrowing and exacting revenge on him.

She had even once gone all out to harm him, only to be thwarted.

 

And yet, despite all that, he trusted her?

 

“Laura, what do you think?”
[…!]
“You agree with me, don’t you? There’s something strange about Aslan.”
[…!!]

 

Could this truly be the result of a person turning over a new leaf?

At first, she had simply accepted it as such.

If Aslan could pull himself together and restore the Vermont family’s glory, she had no reason to oppose it.

 

Thus, she hadn’t questioned it much at first.

But stepping back and looking again, there were too many inconsistencies.

 

For one, no matter how much someone changes, could they truly change so completely?

The only things the old and new Aslan seemed to share were his wickedly sharp features and menacing expression.

Everything else—his behavior, speech, and even the smallest habits—had changed entirely, as though he had become a different person overnight.

 

And then there was his newfound competence.

Aslan, who had once been utterly hopeless at business, was now confidently throwing around terms he could never have known and leading operations with ease.

 

[···!!!]
“Yes, it’s not just my imagination. He clearly doesn’t remember.”

 

But the most decisive factor was this.
Aslan wasn’t afraid of Laura’s avatar anymore.

 

Until relatively recently, he had trembled in fear at the sight of the diminutive Laura.

Yet, ever since the day Aslan had undergone his 180-degree transformation, he not only stopped fearing Laura but even found her endearing.

 

“This is just the same shell; the contents inside have completely changed, haven’t they?”
[···!]

 

Though she lacked hard evidence, her intuition left little room for doubt.

 

The current Aslan wasn’t the same younger brother she once knew.

Irene decided to conclude, at least for now, that this was the case.

 

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I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

용사의 여자들을 납치했다, 저 빌런 아닙니다
Score 7.4
Status: Ongoing Type: , Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Korean
I’ve possessed the mid-boss who tortures the protagonist and receives true education. Am I crazy? How dare I do such a thing to the person who is supposed to be the protagonist? I even planned to treat all the protagonist’s friends hospitably…   “Everyone, wait for me! I will definitely become stronger and come to save you!”   Oh. Running away.

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