“Speaking of which, I heard you’re sponsoring a student at the Imperial Magic Academy, Aslan. I want to get along with them too!”
“…”
Julia clapped her hands as she suddenly recalled a previous conversation with Aslan.
Aslan had mentioned sponsoring a student, and that student was enrolled at the Imperial Magic Academy, achieving outstanding grades.
Just like how he took in Charlotte and me, using the excuse that we were slaves.
And how he went back to the uncertain past to save Lady Sylvia.
There were moments when I thought, “He surprisingly has a warm heart.”
But wait a second.
Didn’t Yuri say she was currently being sponsored by someone she referred to as “Mister Black”?
Could Mister Black actually be Aslan?
Julia decided to voice this baseless thought, feeling lighthearted about it.
“Hehe… Could it be that the student is Yuri?”
“…”
“Aslan? Don’t tell me it’s true?”
“…”
Huh? Wait a second.
I was joking, though?
I expected Aslan to deny it with a laugh, saying it was ridiculous.
Why is Aslan looking so serious and not saying a word?
Could my wild guess actually be true…?
Julia’s lips trembled slightly as she found herself lost in confusion and unable to speak.
“Ahem, well…”
“No way, seriously!? So, Mister Black is Aslan? Is that it?”
“Julia, could you lower your voice a bit?”
“Oh, oh! Right! We don’t want anyone outside to hear…”
“And please, keep the fact that I’m sponsoring Yuri a secret from her.”
“Hmm… What’s in it for me if I keep it a secret…?”
“Do you remember the Spirit compendiums you always borrow from the library? I’ll buy the entire collection and add them to the mansion’s library.”
“Really!?”
Julia let out a joyful squeal, but it didn’t last long.
Suspicion began to creep in.
Why was Aslan so quick to offer what I wanted without hesitation?
It’s almost as if he knew I would figure it out and had already prepared a bribe…
‘No way. That can’t be it.’
Would Aslan really pretend to make a mistake, dropping hints here and there, just to make me realize that he’s Mister Black?
There’s no way Aslan is such a petty, attention-seeking person.
He probably wanted to keep it a secret to the end but was forced to reveal it.
Yeah, that’s probably it.
…Probably.
“But, Aslan, why don’t you reveal your identity to Yuri…?”
“Well, that’s because… Hmm… To make sure she focuses on her studies. I told her that if she wants to know her sponsor’s identity, she has to graduate with top marks.”
“Oh, I see. At first, I thought you were secretly sponsoring her to build a relationship, then reveal your identity at the end to suddenly raise her affection for you and make her fall for you. Like some cliché scheme.”
“Uh, no… Of course not…”
So that’s it…
I thought it was a strategy to erase Yuri’s hostility toward Aslan Vermont by being incredibly kind to her as Mister Black.
But then again, Aslan isn’t someone who would stoop to such underhanded, petty tactics.
Julia shook her head, dismissing the suspicion from her mind.
Aslan didn’t take us in to groom us as brides or anything like that.
Despite his fearsome appearance, he’s genuinely a warm-hearted person.
Julia felt a little guilty for harboring doubts about him, even briefly.
“Hehe. Don’t worry! I’ll keep my lips sealed…!”
“Thank you. Please be careful not to let Yuri find out.”
“Got it! You can count on me…!”
Julia pounded her chest confidently, promising to keep the secret.
This was one secret she absolutely had to protect.
If Yuri found out, it would be disastrous.
‘Yuri really hates Aslan… I don’t know why, but she’s very wary and harbors deep resentment toward him. On the other hand, she completely trusts Mister Black and depends on him. But if she finds out they’re the same person…!’
It would be chaos.
A complete mess.
The beginning of the end.
Yuri might not be able to handle the overwhelming flood of emotions and lose her sanity.
To discover that the person she hates most is actually the one she trusts most?
Just imagining Yuri’s reaction made Julia’s head spin.
At the very least, Aslan should wait until the gap between “the most hated” and “the most loved” had narrowed before revealing the truth.
‘I feel like I’ve become an accomplice in something…’
Now that I think about it, even if I hadn’t promised to keep it a secret, I couldn’t possibly tell Yuri about this.
It feels a bit unsettling, like I’m being played by Aslan.
But for Yuri’s sake, I have no choice but to keep the secret.
“I’m feeling parched. I’ll go get some water…”
“While you’re at it, could you bring me a cup of tea?”
“Uh, sure. That’s no problem.”
“Thank you.”
With a troubled mind, Julia left the study.
The door closed with a thud.
Left alone, Aslan let out a deep sigh and glanced behind him.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Ehehe… I got caught…”
From within the shadows, a somewhat sheepish voice emerged.
Soon, Charlotte stepped out, her figure suddenly appearing.
.
.
.
‘This wasn’t part of the plan.’
I forced a wry smile, trying to suppress my flustered emotions.
Who would’ve thought Charlotte had been hiding in the shadows of the laboratory?
Since she and Julia had been quietly working together earlier, it never crossed my mind that Charlotte, with her usual restless energy, would manage to stay hidden all this time.
By the time I detected her signature sweet scent and realized her presence, it was already too late.
Julia had already uncovered my secret, and Charlotte inadvertently overheard as well.
‘I was planning on letting Charlotte find out much later…’
Things had gone awry.
While I wasn’t too worried about Julia, as she had always been discreet, Charlotte was another matter entirely.
Even if Charlotte intended to keep the secret, there was always the risk she might let it slip unintentionally.
That’s why I had planned to reveal the truth to Charlotte much later.
But now, an unforeseen crisis had arrived.
“Did you hear everything?”
“Hehehe. You mean the part about Mister Black being Yuri’s sponsor?”
“So you did hear it all.”
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but somehow… Honestly, I was hiding here to surprise you and Julia when you came to the lab. But I accidentally fell asleep, and when I woke up, you were already in the middle of your conversation, so I missed my chance to jump out.”
Charlotte’s expression showed no signs of deceit. She wasn’t lying—this really seemed like an accident.
Just my luck.
“Please, could you keep this a secret from Yuri?”
“Hehehe! Just like that? Without offering anything in return?”
Charlotte planted her hands on her hips, speaking with an air of confidence.
Fair enough—after all, I had just promised Julia a complete set of Spirit compendiums in exchange for her silence.
Charlotte would naturally expect her own form of compensation.
I would need to offer something equivalent to or better than that.
“I’ll arrange for Water-Water to stay at the mansion. How about that?”
“What!? Really? That’s amazing—oh, um. Ahem. I mean, no. I want something else!”
Charlotte’s eyes lit up momentarily before she composed herself, feigning calmness.
It seemed she had something specific in mind.
“Then, what do you want?”
“A massage voucher!”
“A… massage voucher?”
“Yes! Just like the one I gave you! If I use it, you have to give me a massage anytime, no matter what!”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is astonished, wondering if such a request could even be considered a punishment!]
Charlotte’s bold condition left me momentarily speechless.
A voucher that obligated me to give her massages anytime she wanted?
Such an idea had never even crossed my mind before.
‘Wait a second. Why didn’t I think of issuing massage vouchers myself earlier?’
Why hadn’t I considered this before?
I had received a massage voucher from Charlotte in the past, but it never occurred to me to create one in return.
Julia spent long hours studying, leaving her body likely tense and sore.
Charlotte, constantly running around, probably dealt with her fair share of muscle pain too.
The demand for massage vouchers would undoubtedly be high. Why hadn’t I realized this until now?
It would be a win-win. Charlotte and Julia could relieve their tension and muscle pain, while I could spend more time bonding with them.
A perfect arrangement—how could I have missed this?
The years I’d wasted in ignorance suddenly felt painfully regrettable.
“Alright. I’ll issue the massage voucher. Would 100 vouchers be enough?”
“Huh? I was only thinking of asking for three…”
“…”
Ah.
It seems I got a bit carried away.
