The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me

Chapter 288: A Crisis At Its Breaking Point

༺ A Crisis At Its Breaking Point ༻

The long vacation was over, and it was the day before school started again.

“Yawn…”

Perhaps because I had been undergoing sleep therapy for quite some time after the orientation, I yawned automatically as I woke up.

“Young Master, are you awake?”

“…Yeah.”

I rubbed my eyes for a while and smiled at Kania, whom I had seen taking naps by my side every time I woke up slightly.

“How does your body feel?”

“It seems much better.”

It made sense, given that I have a good night’s sleep every day and received various treatments continuously for almost two months.

Moreover, since I had been training whenever I woke up, I might have become a bit stronger.

‘No, I need to become several times stronger than this.’

There was a limit to how much training alone could strengthen me. I didn’t have enough time, and I didn’t have enough strength, yet.

With regular academy life resuming tomorrow, I should explore various means to strengthen myself under the guise of teaching.

Maybe I should take a school trip to the Western Continent? That didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Young Master, you’ve gained a lot of muscle.”

“Huh?”

As I was warming up, Kania quietly sat down next to me on my bed and started poking my body with her finger.

“How did you build so much muscles in such a short time? You look like your usual self from the outside, but when I touch you, it’s definitely different.”

The Starlight family was a family of heroes. We had our own disciplines and efficient training secrets.

I just hadn’t felt the need to try them until now.

Given that I now have a reason to become stronger, there was no reason not to utilize them.

“You’re amazing, Young Master. Truly the best.”

However, Kania’s gestures were a bit too bold.

– Swoosh, swoosh…

Blushing, she began to poke around various parts of my body, and before I knew it, her hand slipped inside my clothes, gently caressing my abdomen.

“Your abs are really nice…”

Observing her silently, I jokingly slipped my hand inside her clothes as well.

“…I apologize. Please forgive me.”

She stiffened up and whispered quietly.

“Report what had happened after I slept.”

I tapped her stomach slightly and turned to look out the window.

“First of all… I’ll start with what happened with the sleep spell yesterday.”

“What?”

I didn’t expect such an answer.

“Irina made a mistake, and… there was an error in the sleep spell.”

“…What?”

What on earth did that mean? An error in the sleep spell? And Irina made a mistake in a spell?

That was as absurd as saying Kania’s cooking was tasteless or that Serena was stupid.

Simply put, it did not make sense.

“S-She was so exhausted and she accidentally drew the wrong magic circle. So, you ended up sleeping for a whole day.”

As I was thinking that, Kania rushed in to explain. Yes, I can understand that. Even someone as perfect as Irina couldn’t fight sleepiness.

“Then, has the error been fixed?”

“No, I temporarily interfered with the magic for now to wake you up. Irina is expected to return from the Magic Tower today…”

“Well thanks to her, I feel refreshed and great. Tell her not to be too upset.”

“…Understood.”

Although I smiled and said this to Kania, a question lingered in my mind.

‘I don’t feel like I slept all day…’

My body felt sore as if I had been training, so naturally, I assumed I had woken up after a training session.

‘…It must be just my imagination.’

After pondering for a moment, I shook my head and turned to Kania.

“So, what’s next?”

“Yes, secondly… it’s about the outside world.”

Hearing this, I subconsciously swallowed. 

Since returning to the inn for sleep therapy, I hadn’t been in touch with the outside world, even during the brief moments when I woke up for training.

This was done solely to focus on training and to avoid any interference with the treatment.

As a result, I had been disconnected from the news for a while, so I was both excited and worried.

“The incident from the orientation… is spreading quickly across the whole nation.”

“Really? To what extent?”

As I frowned and asked, Kania answered with a sigh.

“Naturally, it’s known to political figures and other important figures around the world. However, national leaders are collectively suppressing the media to delay the spread of the news as much as possible.”

“However, if the fact that I hold the secret to saving the world becomes known… it would cause global panic.”

“It’s already in a state of panic, but only among the leaders and the media. A significant number of commoners, and surprisingly, even some nobles, are still unaware of it.”

“…Hmm.”

As I pondered with my arms crossed, Kania quietly added.

“Obviously, such a big incident can’t be covered up forever. It’s just a matter of time before the rumors spread nationwide. Within a few months, everyone will know the truth.”

“Is that so?”

“In the case of the academy, the sophomores and freshman students who were present that day naturally know everything. The rest are just starting to hear the rumors.”

Pleased with her explanation, I was about to respond when Kania frowned and spoke.

“Why did you instruct me to let things go this way? I’m worried sick about you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, if I could, I’d shrink you and keep you in my pocket.”

“Pfft.”

Unlike in the past, she now could bluntly express her feelings. I chuckled at her, and started to explain quietly.

“They need to hate me, not fear me. Fear lowers point efficiency.”

“….”

“That’s why I chose to spread the rumor slowly over the course of several months. If I targeted the entire world, the points would accumulate enormously.”

“You’re so obsessed with points… Eek.”

I interrupted her by tapping her belly with my finger.

“With the rumors spreading everywhere, my classmates can’t treat me lightly. And the freshmen won’t dare to defy me since I’m a professor.”

“…”

“Anyway, I’ll be practically living at the academy for a year, so there’s no problem. Don’t worry too much.”

As I finished speaking, Kania, who had been looking at me thoughtfully, continued her report.

“You might change your mind after my third report.”

I tilted my head at her words, and she continued with a frustrated look.

“There’s a faction planning to attack you.”

“Attacking me?”

“They claim you’re lying. It’s so absurd it’s laughable.”

Contrary to her words, her expression was cold.

“The Church, the Imperial Family, and the Magic Tower should have verified it.”

“They’re claiming that these three forces conspired together. Besides, they’re spreading various conspiracy theories to drag you out.”

“…Ha, really.”

“Moreover, this faction has some presence in the academy as well. So… please be careful.”

Said Kania.

“We’ve been handling things from behind the scenes for a while now.”

Her expression was somewhat frightening as she said so.

‘Kania is scary.’

Next to me, she was a loyal subordinate and my most trustworthy aide, but on the outside, her image was now that of a back alley boss. 

Even the original boss, Count Justiano, was overshadowed by her, and my other identity, ‘The Hero of Money’, was closely associated with her.

“Well done, Kania.”

“Haah… Hah…”

It felt a little strange, seeing such a terrifying girl blushing and moaning after I patted her in the stomach.

“P-Please stop fooling around… Young Master. I can’t handle this, I mean… there’s still one last report left.”

“Huh? There’s more?”

After petting her stomach for a while, Kania gently grabbed my arm and said so.

“It’s about your sister…”

“…”

“You’re going to find out about it anyway, so I thought it’s better to tell you now.”

I suddenly felt terrified. Did something happen to Aria? Was she hurt… or worse?

“Calm down, Young Master.”

My heart raced, and I felt out of breath for the first time in a long while, Kania quickly pulled me into her arms.

“Aria has officially joined the Hero Party.”

Her voice reached my ear.

“She has been getting along well with Ruby recently. And maybe… she might even get special admission to the academy as a freshman.”

“…”

Then, a moment of silence ensued.

“What? That’s it?”

In her arms, I muttered with a sigh of relief.

“What a relief… I thought something happened.”

“Young Master.”

“I-I thought something terrible happened…”

“…”

As I failed to regain my composure, Kania held me tighter.

– Rustle…

When I started to calm down, I searched through my pockets.

“Cough, cough…”

I suddenly wanted to see the handkerchief my beloved sister had given to me as a gift.

“…Huh?”

But something was off. 

No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find the handkerchief.

“Young Master? What happened?”

Kania tilted her head in confusion at my sudden behavior.

“Ah…”

I felt my chest tightened.

It was the handkerchief with a silver cat embroidered using stellar mana that Aria gave me as a gift a few months ago.

After that, Serena, Kania, Irina, and Clana also took turns embroidering their own animals on the handkerchiefs. 

“It can’t be…”

It was an irreplaceable treasure that I always carried with me, because it made me feel like they were always by my side just by holding it…

Where could it have gone?

Did I forget it? Did I drop it somewhere? Where was it? 

During training? During the encounter with that strange creature? Or… even before that?

“I-I need to find it…”

I must find it at all costs.

Without it, it felt like the last link between my sister and I would be forever severed.

So. 

No matter what happened, no matter what it took, I must…

“Young Master, stay calm.”

“Haa, haa…”

“Take deep and slow breaths.”

She gently held my hand and spoke in a soft voice as she stroked my pale face with a worried look.

“Slowly… even slower…”

“Haaa…”

I closed my eyes tightly to hide its trembling, and I followed her instructions to breathe slowly as I held her hand.

“That’s good. You’re doing very well.”

Kania patted my back.

Simultaneously, my heart felt warm.

Like sitting on a cozy sofa, a sense of comfort settled over my body.

“Young Master, is something troubling you? Please tell me.”

She asked with a gentle smile, and as I exhaled deeply, I asked her in a low voice.

“It’s nothing major… just that my handkerchief disappeared.”

“Your handkerchief?”

“The one my sister gave me as a gift, the one you all embroidered animals on. It’s…”

“Oh, I have it with me.”

“What?”

I widened my eyes in surprise, sounding as if I were confiding in my mother.

“Ferloche gave it to me last time. She said she found it at the place you were at during the orientation.”

“Ah, right…”

Dumbfounded, I stared at the handkerchief she was handing to me, then quickly took it.

There it was, the animals symbolizing the Heroines and the silver cat in the center. 

Even though they hated it, I could feel traces of their love that went into it, stitch by stitch.

No wonder I cherished it so much…

“…Huh?”

As I buried my face in the handkerchief with a happy expression, I suddenly tilted my head in confusion.

“What’s this?”

A new animal was embroidered on the handkerchief.

It was a white dove with a somewhat foolish expression.

“We are all gathered here.”

My heart was racing as I stared at it in silence. Then she broke my reverie.

“Young Master, please remember this.”

Lifting my head slightly, Kania had a bright smile.

“Just like in that handkerchief, we are always with you, Young Master.”

Silence ensued after her words.

“Kania…”

Breaking the silence, I cautiously called out her name.

“Yes, Young Master.”

She responded naturally and tilted her head, looking at my serious expression.

“…”

Kania looked exceptionally beautiful as she bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window.

– Thump, thump…

Simultaneously, my heart started beating rapidly.

‘Until now, I always thought of her like a family member…’

Kania had always been by my side since I was a child, like a family.

‘…But, it’s not just that anymore.’

However, recently, my feelings have inevitably changed.

‘But how do I tell her that?’

With Serena, it was relatively easy, and everything flowed naturally.

But how about Kania? How should I approach her?

What should I say? What kind of vibe should I set…

“Hey, Young Master.”

As I pondered how to start a conversation that I must have before the day ended, Kania quietly spoke to me.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

She spoke in a formal and rigid tone.

“Y-Yeah…”

I nodded silently while looking at her.

‘First, let’s buy some time.’

I thought to myself as I felt my face turning bright red.

.

.

.

.

.

“During this vacation, who did you enjoy spending time with the most?”

“What?”

Kania, who had been looking at Frey, began to lean in closer and asked in a low voice.

“Please tell me, Young Master.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Now.”

As Frey’s gaze wavered, Kania repeated firmly.

‘Please be me, please be me, please be me, please be me…’

She frantically repeated her thoughts, as her lower belly throbbed hotly from Frey’s constant touch and her heated up body.

‘Wait, do I need an answer? Wouldn’t Frey just take the initiative if things continue this way? Or should I make the move?’

She thought.

‘Or should I just put him back to sleep…’

She quietly muttered to herself.

‘…and finish what I was planning?’

At the same time, the door of the room was firmly shut.

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