I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

“Only using a part of it…?”

What kind of nonsense is that?

Julia entered the bathroom, still chewing over what Aslan had said.

Even after reconsidering it, it still seemed absurd and nonsensical.

After all, separating mana was a technique learned much later.

I can’t even handle my entire mana yet, and he expects me to separate it?

Sure, that’s true, but…

At least in theory, Julia was quite familiar with the concept of separating mana.

“What does he know about me to give such advice… I’ll try it once. Just once.”

It was a ridiculous piece of advice, no, more like interference, but since she had hit a dead end, she decided to give it a try.

But why was she in the bathroom?

Because it was embarrassing.

Failing in front of others was humiliating.

She had always shown herself to be successful.

To the orphans, she was always the unfailing genius…

‘Me struggling? I don’t want anyone to see that.’

People only recognize geniuses.

If a clumsy fool works hard, people might just give a little pitying applause.

I need to be remembered as a genius, and I will be a genius.

Julia wiped her tears and focused on the flow of mana inside her chest.

“Separate a portion of the mana and handle it. I can do this. Let’s go.”

She wiped her eyes and placed her hand on her chest.

The basic process was the same as usual.

Gather the mana at one point and condense it.

And then ignite the condensed mana all at once.

But this time, an additional step was required: separating a portion of the mana.

How much should be separated?

She decided to start with half.

But could she really separate the mana when she couldn’t even control it properly?

Feeling less confident, Julia hiccupped and resumed.

Separate it.

Divide it!

‘Done…!’

She did it!

She could feel that the mana, once a single mass, had been split into two.

However, an immense force was trying to reunite the two masses.

If she lost focus even a little, they would merge again.

So this is why it’s an advanced technique?

She had to prevent them from reuniting while condensing one of the masses.

It was indeed a complex and challenging task, but…

‘It’s working!’

She was making progress.

Leaving one mass in her chest, she guided the other down her arm to her fingertips.

Then, she clenched her small hand as if grabbing the mana.

The mana condensed rapidly under the sudden pressure.

This time, there were no signs of it running wild.

The process was strangely smooth.

‘Huh? I’ve never gotten this far before?’

It was happening so fast that Julia was taken aback.

Usually, by this stage, the mana would be leaking everywhere and causing chaos.

For the first time, she reached the ignition phase.

At this point, she had to choose the ignition method based on the type of magic.

She was so flustered that she didn’t have time to decide what magic to use.

‘Agh! I don’t even know what magic I’m casting…!’

What should she do?

What if a fireball suddenly bursts out and burns down the mansion?

Should she stop?

She was hesitating when…

‘You’re doing great. Don’t worry about disappointing anyone, just keep trying.’

A voice replayed in her mind, one she couldn’t quite place.

Who had said that? She couldn’t remember.

Her parents? Or someone else?

She wasn’t sure, but the warmth in that voice gave her confidence.

‘Here I go!!!’

Gritting her teeth, Julia closed her eyes and extended her arm forward.

The noisy mana went silent in an instant.

The world was quiet.

Is it over?

Julia peeked one eye open.

What kind of magic did she cast?

Looking at her hands and surroundings, she sighed in relief.

“Did it run wild again?”

Nothing had happened, nothing had changed.

She thought she was doing well, but in the end, did it go berserk?

With a bitter smile, Julia left the bathroom and trudged back to the study.

“You’re late.”

“…”

“Sitting on the toilet too long can cause hemorrhoids…”

“Ah! That’s not it!… Mister!”

Even as her face turned bright red, Julia didn’t realize it.

The mysterious voice that had been bothering her was gone.

***

“I want a sword!”

“What?”

“I want a sword!”

“…I heard you. Why are you suddenly saying that?”

Charlotte had come up to me out of nowhere and shouted that she wanted a sword.

“I want a cool sword like the one Sylvia carries!”

“Why not be satisfied with a wooden sword for now? A real sword is too heavy and dangerous for you.”

“But I want to shoot things like Sylvia does!”

“That wasn’t the sword; that was magic.”

“What?!”

Thud.

Charlotte’s face fell as if her world had crumbled.

Did she really think Sylvia’s sword could shoot magic?

“Then, I’ll study magic too!”

“I thought you picked up the sword because you didn’t like studying magic.”

“Now I like magic better!”

“…”

I was certain Charlotte would be a swordswoman, but that certainty was now shaken.

This kid…

She’s more fickle than I imagined.

“So you’ll study magic from now on?”

“Yes! But was Sylvia originally a magician? Why does she carry a sword?”

“Sylvia is both a knight and a magician.”

Sylvia is a magic knight, wielding both a sword and magic.

However, she’s not officially registered with the Magic Association because she taught herself magic.

She uses mana in a completely unorthodox way, but she can still cast spells.

Well, that was before her mana core was damaged.

‘Sylvia would be happy to hear Charlotte wants to study magic.’

It seemed like sword training could be put on hold for now.

Sylvia would be pleased to have some free time.

“A knight and a magician! Awesome! I want to do that too!”

“What?”

“From now on, I’ll study magic and train too! I want to be a magic knight like Sylvia!”

“…”

For a moment, I was speechless.

Did she even know what being a magic knight meant?

‘A magic knight was one of the jobs available to the protagonist in the game.’

At the start of the game, you could choose from various jobs like swordsman, magician, martial artist (for fun), etc.

One special job available only to pre-registered players was the magic knight.

You might think a magic knight is just a knight who uses magic, but it’s more than that.

Technically, it’s a magician who uses a sword.

While ordinary magicians use their bodies as mediums for casting spells, magic knights use weapons as their mediums.

‘Wait, could it be?’

Could Charlotte have the aptitude for being a magic knight?

That would explain why she wasn’t particularly talented in either swordsmanship or magic.

Magic knights can’t manifest their abilities until they find the right weapon.

Most people never get to hold a weapon that suits them perfectly and die without realizing their potential as magic knights.

But I have the financial means to buy as many swords as needed.

“Alright. Let’s go buy a real sword.”

“What? Really? Really? No take-backs!”

I’ll make a big investment.

.

.

.

“Leon got fired?”

Crunch.

Irene crumpled the report in her hand.

Knight Leon Verkus had died in a duel, and many other servants, including the head chef, had been dismissed.

Since it was the result of a certified duel, no one could complain.

That bastard Aslan.

How dare he do this without my permission?

“Wow… My little brother has grown up. I thought he was just stupid and narrow-minded. Did he notice the spies I planted?”

I never thought he’d catch on.

I had hidden them so cleverly, I believed he would never find out.

I thought the family would fall apart without ever knowing the culprit.

But suddenly, he weeded them all out.

Every single one of them. All at once.

It was ridiculous.

The Aslan I knew could never have figured this out.

Even if he had, he would have insisted it wasn’t Leon.

That’s how short-sighted he was.

“So I checked personally, and it was definitely Aslan…”

I wondered if he had changed, so I went to see his disgusting face.

He still trembled like a scared dog when he saw me, just like the old Aslan.

His eyes and demeanor were the same, but…

“An intelligent Aslan? It felt like that.”

There was a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

Did he suddenly wake up?

Or maybe…

“Someone else is involved.”

It’s more plausible that someone else is behind Aslan, pulling the strings.

Who could it be? Kali? No, he seems too dim-witted.

“Another evil god…”

Has he made a pact with another evil god?

That would make sense.

An evil god actively involved, advising Aslan.

If that’s not the case, there’s no other explanation.

“Who is interfering with us…?”

Crunch.

The plan to blame Aslan after causing the family to fall into ruin, then execute him.

It was falling apart in real time.

Who is it? Which evil god?

Whoever it is, they must be prepared to die if they’ve turned us into their enemies.

A war between evil gods…

This might be exciting.

Irene laughed as she grasped the black mist creeping up from behind her.