“Before that, let’s have a talk. Let’s talk, man to man.”
“Yes, Count. You want to… wait, what?”
Yuri’s brow furrowed deeply.
Fortunately, thanks to the mask, Aslan couldn’t see her expression.
Yuri was struggling to hide her displeasure.
“It seems you find it difficult to deal with me, so if there’s any misunderstanding, I want to clear it up.”
“…Yes.”
Squeeze.
Aslan firmly gripped Yuri’s shoulders and pulled her closer. Yuri was taken aback.
It felt like she was being embraced by Aslan.
Or maybe it was just a casual shoulder hug among men.
‘Does he really think I’m a man!?’
Her blood pressure skyrocketed.
After all, she was disguised as a man, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
She has short hair.
She doesn’t wear makeup.
Her voice is rough.
She wears only neat pants and a shirt.
At first glance, everyone thought I was a man.
At first glance, people always mistook her for a man.
But that was only the first impression.
After a little conversation with the Academy’s students and faculty, everyone would have a puzzled look and eventually couldn’t resist asking if she was really a man.
Even wrapped up like this, is there some unavoidable femininity that slips out?
It’s quite embarrassing even though she’s dressed as a man.
…Or so she thought.
Until she met someone who couldn’t even realize she was a woman after spending hours in close proximity in the same carriage.
‘Why doesn’t he notice!? Usually, people pick up on it!’
It was extremely frustrating.
Had they only met once or twice?
They had crossed paths two times at the Academy and several times at the training grounds.
It wasn’t that Aslan was disinterested.
He even growled at her to take off her mask, suspecting her relationship with his sl*ves.
Doesn’t that mean he’s paying close attention to her?
So how can he not know?
She even tried to give him a fake name, but got flustered and accidentally said Yuria.
Yuri is also used as a male name, so it could be confusing.
But how can he mistake Yuria for a man…?
Could it be that he misunderstood her as some p*rverted guy who enjoys cross-dressing so much that she even changed her name to a female one?
…Oh, no way?
With this somewhat plausible theory, Yuri’s pupils began to shake.
“…Anyway, it means I have high expectations.”
“Yes.”
“So, don’t you have something you want to say?”
“…”
What were we talking about?
She knew Aslan was saying something, but the confusion in her mind left no memory of his words.
Yuri, flustered, stammered and gave a vague response.
“Yes. Nothing.”
“Are you not planning to take off that mask?”
“…Yes.”
Swoosh.
With a casual motion, Aslan pushed back the mask, exposing Yuri’s face.
Yuri lowered her gaze and avoided eye contact, and Aslan sighed deeply.
With a somewhat disappointed expression, Aslan got up and, looking a bit subdued, walked away with weak steps.
Yuri’s shoulders, left alone, trembled.
‘Doesn’t he see that I’m a woman? Ugh…!’
It’s really irritating.
It’s so annoying.
It makes her feel bad.
Yuri clenched her fists, trembling with anger, and shed a few tears.
‘I definitely can’t leave Charlotte and Julia around someone like him!’
Her previously relaxed vigilance flared up again. The hatred that was almost extinguished thanks to Mr. Black letter was reignited in an instant.
“Hmm?”
Rustle.
At the sound of rustling in the bushes, Yuri turned her head sharply.
It wasn’t a noise made by Aslan.
Then…?
.
.
.
“Uwaaa…!”
Panting heavily.
Charlotte and Julia fled without even noticing the rustling of the bushes!
They witnessed such a shocking scene!
“That was Yuri, right? It was, wasn’t it?”
“Y-yeah, I think so. Why is Yuri here…?”
The face revealed beneath the mask pushed aside by Aslan was unmistakably Yuri’s.
It was astonishing enough that Yuri was here.
“But more importantly, why is Aslan being so intimate with Yuri!!!”
“Julia, Shhhh. Quiet…!”
The sight of Aslan being so physically close to Yuri was an even greater shock.
He hadn’t extended such familiarity towards us.
How long must Aslan and Yuri have known each other to be so naturally…?
Seeing the unrestrained touch as if dealing with a boy for the first time, Charlotte and Julia felt a bewildering level of shock, almost fainting.
“Sh-should be enough distance now. Hah. Hahh…”
“Didn’t run much, but you’re already out of breath?”
“I don’t have stamina like you… Hah… I’m not in good shape… Hahaa…”
“By the way, why did Yuri follow us here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? She said she would come back to save us. From that moment, Yuri must have thought we’d be treated poorly at the Vermont mansion. So she must have come secretly, hiding her identity.”
“Ah, so that’s why the mask…”
Charlotte clapped her hands and widened her eyes. It was the moment when all the mysteries were resolved.
It made sense that Yuri would be the one to do this.
Although Aslan Vermont’s behavior might seem somewhat naive from the perspective of someone who knows his true nature, considering how we had feared him not long ago, it was understandable how precarious he must appear to a third party.
Knowing this made dealing with him more complicated.
“Shouldn’t we tell Yuri? We’re actually doing very well, contrary to the rumors?”
“No, we need to be careful. Yuri might think we’re brainwashed by Aslan and are just saying good things about him.”
“Ah, Yuri might really think that… So what should we do?”
“We should subtly reveal that things are going well without directly stating it. It would be more convincing if Yuri still believes we haven’t seen beneath the mask.”
“Credibility… what? I don’t know! Anyway, that seems right!”
Charlotte, catching on to the general idea despite not fully understanding the nuances, knew what Julia was getting at.
Even if they tried to calmly persuade Yuri, she would likely dismiss it.
Yuri always considered the worst-case scenarios, so she would surely suspect brainwashing.
But if they pretended not to know anything and subtly showed that the treatment from Aslan wasn’t bad, Yuri wouldn’t suspect brainwashing.
This approach might help her quickly realize what kind of person Aslan really is.
“Great! That way, we can alleviate Yuri’s worries!”
“Yes. And one more thing. We need to get Yuri away from Aslan quickly.”
“Ah…”
Remembering what she had momentarily forgotten, Charlotte’s expression changed.
Mister…
He seemed to be very fond of Yuri.
‘We can’t let any more rivals for Julia appear!’
‘If the maid’s words are true, Aslan is a lecherous p*rvert who can’t resist pure commoner girls! We need to protect Yuri from him!’
Charlotte and Julia exchanged determined glances.
Despite their different thoughts, the two shared a common goal.
They nodded in agreement and exchanged looks.
***
‘This is so awkward, I’m going crazy.’
The carriage started again.
The inside of the carriage, where people gathered in groups of three or five, was once again enveloped in silence.
Perhaps because Yuri was wearing a mask and not saying a word, Charlotte and Julia also seemed to be unusually subdued, lacking their usual lively demeanor.
‘Is the strategy of borrowing Mr. Black’s power a failure?’
If it was supposed to be a man-to-man conversation, a guy should have opened up.
I had abandoned my noble demeanor and spoke frankly.
Instead, he seemed to retreat like a girl, reinforcing the barriers around his heart.
Alright.
It turns out he’s not a dashing hero but more of a timid coward.
I completely understand now.
I had jumped to the conclusion that, as the protagonist, he would be a true man’s man. In reality, he was a passive coward.
Now, I need to adjust my approach.
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is getting restless, saying our apostles seem to be having a standoff.]
A standoff?
What does that mean?
The atmosphere is just awkward, not a standoff.
Kali’s judgment is unreliable.
As I shook my head and sighed deeply, the children seemed to have exhausted themselves and their eyes gradually closed.
Initially, they appeared to be sleeping soundly.
But soon, Charlotte and Julia had edged closer to me, each claiming one of my arms.
“…”
“…”
On the opposite side.
I could feel a piercing gaze through the mask.
Even though I couldn’t sense mana, the intense killing intent felt suffocating.
It was obvious that Yuri’s misunderstanding and hatred would deepen with such a display, but…
‘Sorry, but your companions have already been quite tamed by me.’
I couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sense of superiority rising in me.
