I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

Chapter 37 - I\'m Going to Drop Out (2)

"Why the face? What kind of letter is it...?"

"...It\'s nothing."

I quickly crumpled the letter so Julia wouldn\'t see it and left the room.

Maybe I read it wrong.

But back in my room, the content was the same upon rereading it.

-...If my sponsor continues to ignore me, I\'ll wither and die. Please reply.

"This is driving me crazy."

What kind of threat is this?

The sponsored threatening to stop the sponsorship? Ridiculous.

In a normal relationship, this wouldn\'t work, but ours isn\'t normal, and I\'m the one in a bind.

\'I should read all the letters I\'ve been putting off.\'

Now that I think about it, I\'ve just been stashing away all of Yuri\'s letters.

At first, I thought they were sent to the wrong person and ignored them. Later, I realized they were from Yuri, but by then, a pile had accumulated, and it was too much trouble to read them all.

I had arranged her admission, so I thought she\'d be fine on her own as the protagonist and lost interest.

What could have happened for such an extreme letter to suddenly arrive?

I decided to start with the first letter.

-To Mister Black. Why Mister Black, you ask? It\'s the nickname I gave you after seeing your back. You were in a black suit with a black carriage, so Mister Black. If you don\'t like it, tell me your real name. Calling you an anonymous sponsor is too stiff. And...

-To Mister Black. I had my first class today! I didn\'t know I had to move to the next classroom after each lesson. No one told me, and I almost missed it on the first day. The first class was...

-To Mister Black. I went out to town today. I heard the capital was big, but it was dizzyingly large. The dormitory provides basic meals, so I have no issues living, but it\'s a bit disappointing that there aren\'t any shops to visit in the city. Maybe I should find a part-time job to earn some pocket money. Oh, and today...

.

.

.

All the letters were bright and cheerful.

Even the complaints were cute, not giving off any sense of dissatisfaction.

It\'s hard to believe that someone who wrote such letters would suddenly send such a depressing one overnight.

"First, a reply."

I hurriedly started writing a reply.

If I don\'t, she\'ll cut off the sponsorship.

If she does, Yuri will leave the Imperial Magic Academy and disappear.

It wouldn\'t be surprising if she turned to the dark side someday.

She has no companions to stay by her side now, nor Sylvia to lead her.

I included some pocket money in the reply.

Buy whatever you want to eat. If you need more, let me know. Please. Okay?

\'Bullying... How?\'

It\'s hard to imagine someone with such tremendous physical ability just taking it.

But bullying doesn\'t always involve physical force.

Humans are capable of all sorts of dirty tricks.

If Yuri turns to the dark side because of bullying?

That\'s a disaster. The end.

I\'d be the first to be caught and brutally killed, marking the beginning of the end.

"Who the hell is it? Who dares to bully Yuri?"

Grinding my teeth, I prepared to leave immediately.

This can\'t go on.

I need to get to the bottom of this.

"Sylvia, please take care of the children."

"Are you going alone? Where are you going?"

"To the Imperial Magic Academy."

"Ah. Have a safe trip."

She seemed ready to follow but soon bowed and saw me off.

Though tasked with guarding and watching over me, she always refrains from coming to the Imperial Magic Academy.

I decided not to pry into her past.

"Coachman, bring out a different carriage. One with the family crest."

"Yes, sir."

"From now on, use this carriage when going to the Magic Academy."

"I will."

The plain carriage I used during my previous visit to the Academy was retired.

That was the \'Mister Black\'s\' carriage.

I couldn\'t use it since Yuri had seen it once.

Riding in the carriage on the incomplete road,

I drifted off, thinking about Charlotte\'s armor, until we arrived at the Imperial Magic Academy.

It was faster than I expected.

I hadn\'t realized Vermont was so close to the Academy...

"Is the Headmaster in today?"

"I\'m sorry, the Headmaster isn\'t in today..."

"Then call him. Tell him Aslan Vermont is waiting."

"Yes..."

The Academy staff turned with a dubious look.

The Headmaster would come.

If not, I\'d make a mess.

Would he dare ignore Aslan Vermont causing trouble?

[The Evil God \'Kali\' is very pleased with your troublemaking.]

It\'s not troublemaking.

I haven\'t done anything yet.

So, it\'s not troublemaking.

If the Headmaster treats me like a troublemaker, then I will be.

\'Should I check out the library?\'

The mansion\'s library is vast enough.

But honestly, it feels like it\'s filled with kindling.

You have to search extensively to find reliable books, so I stopped looking there long ago.

\'Are there any books on dark magic?\'

The library, fitting for the best higher education institution in the empire, was enormous.

I looked for books on spirit magic that Julia might like.

Books on swordsmanship for Charlotte\'s interest.

And I wondered if there were books on dark magic.

But this library doesn\'t have a search system.

In fantasy, you should be able to search through some archive or something.

Even if there are books on black magic, I doubt the librarian would answer properly.

That\'s troublesome.

[The Evil God \'Kali\' suggests heading that way.]

...Where is that way?

[The Evil God \'Kali\' is upset, saying it\'s not that way but this way!]

Where is \'that way\' then?

After wandering for a while, I finally followed Kali\'s vague directions.

In a dim corner, there was a small, barely visible bookshelf.

\'Found it.\'

A Treatise on Dark Magic.

Does Evil Magic Exist?

The History of Dark Magic.

All related to dark magic.

I picked them all up without hesitation.

By the time I had also gathered books for Julia and Charlotte, I began to miss Sylvia a bit.

"I\'d like to check these out."

"Hmm. If you\'re not a student or faculty member, you can\'t check out books."

"How about now?"

"...!"

I flashed my Imperial Magic Academy sponsor card, and the librarian flinched.

Sponsors can, of course, use the library, but I must be the first sponsor to actually check out books.

"Check-out complete, Mr. Aslan Vermont. The period is one week, and extensions can be made three times for a week each..."

"Aslan Vermont!?"

"...?"

A high-pitched voice called out from behind me.

The chill down my spine made me turn around.

Sure enough, standing behind me was Yuri, in her school uniform.

Still looking like a scoundrel.

\'Did she see the sponsor card?\'

I hurriedly covered the card with my hand.

Did she see it?

If she realizes I\'m her sponsor, it\'s over.

"Who are you?"

"Ah, it\'s nothing... Nothing... Sorry..."

Biting her lip, Yuri turned her head away from me.

She clenched her fists, visibly trying to suppress her anger.

If she hates me this much and finds out I\'m her sponsor, what then?

She\'d immediately refuse the sponsorship and disappear.

And later, if she turns to the dark side under some villain\'s influence... well, you get the idea.

It\'s a future that makes me shudder and my legs weak.

\'Caution. Extreme caution.\'

Passing by Yuri, cold sweat ran down my back, and I felt a chill.

It felt like passing by a grizzly bear glaring at me.

How gutsy are the ones bullying such a person?

I fled the library hastily.

I could feel the piercing gaze behind me the whole way out.

Wanting to confront me but holding back.

It\'s a relief she seems to have learned some patience at the Academy.

\'Was I too careless?\'

Maybe I should have brought some guards.

I should have considered Yuri might attack me at the Academy.

Next time, I\'ll need some sort of safety measure.

"Ah, the Headmaster has arrived. Shall I escort you to his office?"

"Lead the way."

I received a message that the Headmaster had arrived.

Good. Let\'s find out who\'s been bullying that bomb.

Whoever it is, once I find them...

"No... Bullying... That can\'t be..."

"Educators usually find it hard to detect bullying. Yuri has testified in a letter. Are you saying Yuri is lying?"

"Yes. That\'s probably it. Yuri has already subdued her seniors and has a solid position in the school where no one can touch her..."

"...What?"

What is this?

She wasn\'t being bullied, she was the one bullying?