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༺ A Particularly Warm Day ༻
– Flapping!
As I emerged from Isolet's room, drenched in sweat, the birds overhead began to circle me.
"Meow…"
"Pant pant…"
At my feet, a cat doll and a puppy tugged at the hem of my clothes, dragging me backward.
"Ouch, that hurts! Stop it!"
Caught by the sudden commotion, I waved my hand, causing the puppy to suddenly widen its eyes.
"W… woof!"
The puppy then barked awkwardly before running off somewhere.
"What… what's going on?"
As I watched it go, puzzled, I felt someone approach and poke me on the sides, prompting me to turn to see who it was.
"Ma… Master…"
Lulu, with an anxious look, came into my view.
"We need to get out of here. This place is weird."
"Huh? What do you mean…"
"Hurry…"
Before I knew it, Lulu had grabbed my arm, and together with the animals they began dragging me away. I looked at her with confusion when her eyes began to glow ruby red.
"…Quickly."
She glanced towards Isolet's door with her Magic Eyes, blushing suddenly, but soon spoke with an anxious expression.
"We really need to leave as soon as possible…"
"…..?"
Was Lulu using her Magic Eyes to peek inside Isolet's room? If so, I could somewhat understand. She might be thinking she could lose the affection I give her…
"You might be taken if you're not careful…"
Lulu's expression, which had been fixed on Isolet's room, transformed into one of fear.
"Um…"
A crease formed on my brow as I was wordless pulled along, muttering under my breath.
"Well, I think I need to stay a little longer…"
Unlike my last visit, my younger sister was here, and the 'Youngest Paladin' was perfectly fine as well.
So far, I had only seen my sister's face and while I had entrusted Serena with some tasks, I still needed to conduct some investigations regarding the Youngest Paladin.
"Um, ahem. Frey."
Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly spotted Irina emerging from a corner of the mansion, clearing her throat and as she approached me.
"Irina? Where have you been?"
"I… I was looking for my pet dog. I just found him and tied him up outside."
She answered, avoiding my gaze.
"Um…"
Then, her countenance turned colder as she began to walk towards Isolet's room.
– Perk up, perk up.
Irina halted in front of Isolet's door. Closing her eyes, she perked up her dog-like ears, listening intently.
"You're the one at fault… You seduced me first… You were the first to speak provocatively… responsibility…"
After a brief period of deep concentration, her eyes tightly shut, she unintentionally repeated the words she had overheard from within the room, her face now ablaze with embarrassment.
"...."
Moments later, the gazes of Irina, who was listening at the door, and Lulu, who was peering inside, met. They exchanged silent nods of agreement.
"Frey, shall we go now?"
With that, Irina, having approached my side, cautiously asked.
"Master, let's go home. Pet me at home."
At the same time, Lulu pressed herself on my side, pleading with me.
"....."
Amidst this chaotic situation, I rubbed my throbbing temples and summoned the system window in the air.
[Sub-Heroines Conquest]
Lulu
[Conquest Complete]
Detail…
"…Hmm."
I looked towards Lulu glued to my side before I carefully activated her Affection System Details.
Affection System
[Latent Potential Awakening Completed: Awakened Magic Eyes]
"Ohh."
It was only then that I became certain.
The purpose of the Affection System was to 'unlock the heroine's latent potential.'
'Wait, is that right? For some reason, there's too much emphasis on 19+ events…'
Reading the details, I forcibly averted my eyes from the shining, prominently highlighted 19+ events and delved into my thoughts once again.
'Anyway, it's fascinating. Latent potential.'
I somewhat anticipated it from Lulu's awakening of her Magic Eyes, but seeing it first hand was still intriguing.
'So, by any chance…'
I tilted my head as I pondered.
'Do the main heroines also have latent potential?'
It was a possibility, but I couldn't confirm it at this time.
Unlike the detailed information about the sub-heroines, the main heroines' details remained locked.
"…Hmm."
So there I was, with a tinge of disappointment on my face, blankly staring at Irina who was making a determined effort to pull me away from Isolet's room.
"Hey…"
"Hm?"
Suddenly, a young girl holding a large teddy bear appeared before me.
"Uh, ooh…"
Sleepily wandering the hallway, the young girl backed away with a terrified look upon the sight of me.
"…Kadia?"
It was Kadia, Kania's younger sister, who possessed the 'Healing Ability.'
Ever since she had left home with my sister, Aria, I had received no news of her. It seemed she had likely moved to reside at Isolet's mansion with my sister.
"Hmm…"
She bore a striking resemblance to a younger and more adorable version of Kania, having a perfectly round face.
Come to think of it, I hadn't really spoken much with her in the current regression.
After all, her newly awakened 'Power of Healing' would suffice in restoring Kania's life force… and almost all types of life force enhancement don't work on me, so we haven't interacted much.
Still, after all this time, shouldn't I strike up a conversation with the adorable girl?
"Hey…"
"Oh, Aria told me not to play with… Young Master Frey."
However, her response was firm, filled with fear.
"Please, stay away."
"....."
It seemed Aria has thoroughly instilled into her to be wary of men.
"Meow….."
As I stood there, slightly embarrassed, the cat doll peeked out from my coat pocket, casting longing glances toward Kadia.
'Oh, right. This cat doll was made by Kadia, wasn't it?'
"Meow?"
With that realization, I grabbed the cat doll and gently shook it.
"This is quite cute."
"Huh?"
"I heard that you made this, right?"
Upon hearing this, Kadia appeared puzzled.
"I never made something like that…"
– Beep! Beep!
At the same moment Kadia opened her mouth, an alert sound emanated from her pocket.
"…Sis?"
"...."
"Hm? Lower my voice? Hmm…"
Answering the call, Kadia suddenly rushed to the end of the hallway. She peeked her head out, watching me with a cautious look as she continued her conversation.
"What? Why… Uh, hmm… Okay."
And a moment later.
"Yeah, that's right. I made that doll myself."
She replied, sweating profusely.
"Also… stop bothering my sister!"
Kadia closed her eyes and suddenly let out a sharp yell.
"Because you've tormented my sister so much, she clutches her stomach every time she sees Young Master Frey!"
"What?"
"Her stomach is in pain! When she's hurt, I get sad!"
"Ah, umm…"
"And, she told me… you should not get pinned down beneath someone. You should not touch their skin either. Every time that happens, she says it's hard to hold back, almost to the point of… no, I wasn't supposed to say this."
Then, she paused, running a hand through her hair as she considered her next words.
"Anyway, please stop tormenting my sister!"
With that, she was hastily finished her sentence and scurried out of the hallway.
"....."
Nobody uttered a word for some time.
"I, I didn't say anything, Frey. But, it's fine to keep our skin touching…"
In such an atmosphere, Irina spoke in a quiet voice, her expression hardening.
"..."
Suddenly, the door that had been firmly shut just moments ago swung open and Isolet advanced with a fierce look.
"Huh? Uh?"
For some reason, she was dressed haphazardly.
"Frey."
A moment later, she stood in front of Frey, who unknowingly wore a frozen expression.
She calmed her agitation down, but her eyes bore a cold intensity as she presented him with a crumpled newspaper that a carrier pigeon had left on her windowsill.
– The True Identity of Frey Raon Starlight.
[The Shining Star of the Empire tainted in darkness.]
A powerful headline that adorned the 'Imperial Newspaper' that all the people of the Empire loved to read.
[Evidence has recently been found that Frey Raon Starlight was closely involved in the 'slave market'.
According to the Imperial Family and the Church, the evidence provided by the anonymous informant is quite credible…]
"Is this true?"
Reading over the newspaper that had just begun to be distributed across the empire once more, Isolet questioned Frey.
"Yes, it's true. Everything there is my doing. Why? Are you disappointed? You are, aren't you? I don't even seem human to you, do I?"
With a pale expression, Frey tightly closed his mouth, and his eyes glistened and he quietly nodded in response.
[…The Imperial Family has ordered a full investigation into Frey on charges of violating slave laws, suspicion of child exploitation, and possession of a large number of illegal sex slaves.]
Having read through the entire newspaper, Isolet quietly crumpled it and threw it away.
"See that, Frey? Was I not right?"
Then, she took another step closer to Frey.
"In a little while, investigators might storm your mansion. Perhaps by tomorrow, you could even be arrested."
As always, Isolet was drenched in sweat, and she cautiously extended her trembling hand to Frey.
"So… Come live with me."
After a brief moment, as she clung closely enough to Frey to press her body toward him, she began to mutter with her eyes turned.
"Sis, sister…"
"No one… I'll make sure no one can lay a hand on you."
As she said this, she noticed that Frey was beginning to tremble and she closed her eyes tightly and started to breathe heavily.
"It might feel a bit coercive… but it's all to protect you. I won't do anything strange. R-Really. Truly."
"Ah, um…"
"I'll be good. I'll take good care of you. It might be a bit dark, but I'll make sure you're hydrated and fed… and also…"
In Isolet's embrace, he was stammering with a blushing face.
"I, I should go now!!"
"…Fr, Frey?"
Seizing the moment when she let her guard down, Irina and Lulu quickly pulled Frey away, causing Isolet to lose her grip on him.
"Ah, this won't do. I need to lock him up… no, no, I need to hide him…"
In the split second Isolet hesitated, Frey headed towards the entrance with the two girls.
"...."
Just as he was about to leave her house, he came face to face with his younger sister, Aria.
"…Die."
She had read the newspaper distributed in the Empire.
"….I want my brother to die."
"...…"
Frey, who was being dragged along by the animals and the girls, stopped for a while and stared at her.
"….Okay."
Then, he smiled slightly.
"What, what's… with that smile…"
Aria flinched at his smile, then she tried to talk to him.
"… Goodbye, Aria."
With those words, Frey left Isolet's mansion, barely having enough time to speak.
"".....""
Just like that, a long silence ensued inside the mansion.
"Cuckoo!"
"...?"
In the midst of the silence, a pigeon wearing a stupid look flew into the window of the mansion and Aria tilted her head.
The pigeon, which had disappeared somewhere without following Frey into his room, had come to fulfill its role as the 'Church's carrier pigeon' after a long while.
"Now that it's come to this… I'll have to come up with a plan. I have to secure Frey somehow. I'll protect him…"
"Huh?"
And so, leaving Isolet behind who started mumbling to herself, Aria took the letter from the pigeon.
".....Ah."
Soon, her complexion started to turn pale.
.
.
.
.
.
– Shocking News! Frey Raon Starlight, Your Time is Up?
Not long after the Empire published the newspaper across the nation about Frey, the Church published its own.
– Saintess Ferloche's shocking revelations. Frey Raon Starlight has less than two years left to live?
Somehow, instead of Frey's misdeeds, the news on the headlines were like that.
– While Frey dismissed the reports as false, there are multiple sources stating that…
While it didn't have the same impact as the Imperial Newspaper, it did manage to shock some people.
"....What?"
These people included Roswyn, who was standing on the front porch of the Starlight mansion, holding the letters and flowers that was given to her by Frey…
"You've been joking these days, haven't you, Princess? That's a good attitude. In the future…"
"Woo, waaaahh…."
"Princess?"
"This is not it… I didn't mean for any of this…"
And a pale-faced Aishi, who had been in contact with the Kingdom's wizards all day.
"Time…limit?"
"What should I do… Maybe…"
It was a particularly warm day, even though it was early winter.
You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02