So Charlotte really does have the makings of a swordswoman.

Given that she’s destined to become an ally of the protagonist, she’d naturally excel in some area.
If she doesn’t have the brains for academics, she must have an exceptional physical ability.
Charlotte was faster than Yulia at running, and her build suited movement and agility.

I wonder how it’s going?

I glanced out the window toward the training grounds.

“Hold the sword steady and keep your steps light. Got it?” “I have no idea what you mean….” “Hmph. You don’t understand? Just try it for now.” “Hiya!” “Hmph. Not quite right. Maybe you don’t have any talent after all.”

The training seemed to be progressing well.
Sylvia, after all, is a top-notch knight with considerable skill.
Even though she had to retire due to an injury that prevented her from using mana, her fundamentals are solid, making her the ideal teacher for Charlotte.

But if, for some reason, this doesn’t work out either?
If she’s not suited to academics or physical prowess, I’d have to take her to the church to see if she has a knack for healing.
Who knows, maybe we’ll discover Charlotte is some sort of saintess if the Philosopher’s Stone shines over her.

Of course, I doubt that.
A saintess with a slender figure? That would be unheard of.
Saintess or not, Yulia seems better suited to that role than Charlotte.

“What’s with that look? You seem to be thinking something sneaky!” “….”

I was speechless.
Does she have mind-reading abilities?
I hid my face behind a book, ignoring Yulia’s indignant huff.

And speaking of books, this one is nonsense.

If you want to perform black magic, you need the head of a male goat killed under a full moon, or so it says…
This is nothing more than superstition.
Unlike real magic with its structured principles, this is just embellished folklore.

And all the other books Aslan collected are the same.
He’s been wasting money on fanciful horror stories.
People who take these things seriously end up committing atrocious acts like animal sacrifices and torturing innocents, which only serves to justify the kingdom’s crackdown on black magic.
Aslan and his ilk make it all the more appealing by treating it as forbidden knowledge.

But wait, something doesn’t add up. At the end of chapter one, Aslan actually uses what seemed like black magic.

If black magic were entirely a myth, it wouldn’t make sense.
In the game, Aslan attacked the protagonist with black smoke.
If that’s not black magic, then what is?
Maybe there’s a genuine ancient text on black magic hidden away somewhere?

I’ll have to search this entire library.

If anything real exists, it’s bound to be here.
This library is enormous, though.
When would I ever get through it all?
Did Aslan ever make a serious effort to search this place? That hardly seems likely.

It seems there’s no hope of making progress by just reading these books.

Then there’s the matter of my sister, Irene, who’s been keeping a close eye on me.
If I want to placate her and the demon god Kali, I’ll need to at least put on the appearance of making progress.
For now, I’ll have to keep up the pretense.

Looks like I’m stuck pretending to be a black magician.

At the very least, I need to appear like I’m trying.
This will buy me time to piece together real black magic.
If Aslan managed it, there’s no reason I can’t.

The problem is what happens once I start using black magic.
Escaping the pressure of my family would only put me in the crosshairs of a nationwide witch hunt.
But that’s a concern for later.

The demon god Kali watches over you with affection.

Witch hunts can be avoided by changing my identity and going on the run.
But I can’t escape Kali if she decides to strangle me in my sleep.

And why am I not tired at all?

I stayed up all night, so I assumed this body must be nocturnal.
Yet here I am, well into the afternoon, and I don’t feel the slightest hint of drowsiness.
Is there some sort of stimulant at play?

You’ve noticed a bodily anomaly.
The Contract Management feature has been unlocked.

What?

Contract Management
Contracted Entity: Demon God Kali
Age: ???
Contract Effect: Enables recovery without sleep.
The contract is bound by blood. A temporary possession may occur. The contract cannot be broken without mutual consent.

What is this?
A contract? With the demon god Kali?
So that’s why she’s been hanging around?
A headache hit me immediately.

Break the contract!

Kali refuses.

Please break the contract!

Kali refuses.

Pretty please!

Kali looks at you with suspicion.

No luck.
And this contract isn’t even all that useful.
The ability to function without sleep is nothing special.
What happened to power boosts or enhanced magic?

This ability would’ve been more useful to someone like Yulia, who could use the extra hours.
But speaking of which… what’s she doing?

There was a thud.
Yulia was slumped over, her head hitting the desk as she drifted off.

If she’s tired, she should just go to sleep. What’s stopping her?

“Ugh… It’s too loud…”

Apparently, she wants to sleep but can’t.
She dozes off, only to wake up as if something is forcing her back to consciousness.
Is she unwell?

“Do you have a headache?” “No, it’s not that… What’s with you touching my forehead…?”

“No fever. So why do you keep nodding off?”
“That’s none of your business….”
“If something’s wrong, that affects my money. Out with it.”
“Jerk…”

Her bloodshot eyes narrowed as she pushed my hand away.
She was clearly exhausted.
The dark circles and drooping posture suggested she hadn’t slept well in days.

What’s wrong with her?
Could Irene have done something to her?
Before I could consider the possibilities, Yulia spoke again.

“Voices… Where did they go? They’re quiet now…”
“….”

She slumped forward, almost falling off her chair.
I caught her just in time, realizing she had simply fallen asleep.
I can’t believe she’s sleeping so soundly now.

Is this the same kid who looked like she hadn’t slept in a week?

No matter the reason, she’s sleeping peacefully.
I decided to let her rest and moved to return to my seat.

“Ugh…”
“What now?”

She winced in her sleep, looking like she might wake up.
I moved closer, and she relaxed.
Stepping back again, she started to frown and stir.
Approaching her once more, she resumed her peaceful slumber.

Huh.

She wakes up if I step away but falls back asleep when I get close.
What a peculiar kid.
I recalled something she had said just before nodding off.

Voices? Ah, right.

Yulia is set to become a spirit mage in the future.
One of the symptoms of latent spirit mages is insomnia due to hearing spirit voices constantly.
Since she can’t control them, she can’t get any sleep.

The reason she can rest near me, however, is likely due to Aslan’s lack of affinity with mana, which must extend to spirits as well.
In fact, they’d probably avoid me.

Skill: Death’s Touch.

The air grew cold instantly, and I felt a sudden stillness.
Any spirits nearby must have perished.
A slight smile appeared on Yulia’s lips as she slept.

She’s kind of cute.

When she’s awake, she’s nothing but an annoyance.
But asleep, she almost looks angelic.
I might regret this later, but for now, I decided to poke at her cheek.

“At least you let your guard down when you sleep.”

Poke. Poke, poke.
I tugged at her cheeks, stretching the soft skin.
It was surprisingly addictive.

“Hngh!”
“Oh.”

She woke up.

By sunset, Charlotte had finished her training and collapsed onto the grass.

“Hah… hah…”
“Drink some water. You’re done for today.”
“How did I do?”
“You have a decent athletic foundation, but you’ve got a lot to learn. We’ll continue tomorrow. It’ll be tougher and more demanding. Are you up for it?”
“Yes! The harder, the better!”

Charlotte set down her water with enthusiasm.
She had never felt this exhilarated before.
No matter what she studied in the past, she never found it interesting or was any good at it.
Today’s sword training had been different, even if all they’d done was jumping rope and running.

She finally felt like she could put in the effort, like she could be useful.
The thought alone filled her with energy.

“Do you think I could be a great knight, like you?” “I… I’m not a great knight. Don’t aim to be like me.”
“Huh?” “Go clean up. It’s almost dinnertime.”

Sylvia’s face darkened.
A great knight… that had once been her dream.
But now, here she was, working for a corrupt household.
Clenching her jaw, Sylvia forced herself to let go of the useless thoughts.

“Sir, it’s almost dinner… huh?”

As she opened the library door, Sylvia stopped, staring in shock.
There was Aslan, sitting on a couch with one hand holding a book.
That wasn’t strange.
But the sight of the other hand resting on the cheek of the sleeping girl on his lap was enough to cause concern.

Is he…?!

“Sylvia, please keep your voice down?”
“Why?”
“Yulia hasn’t been able to sleep well lately. It’s the first time I’ve seen her rest this peacefully in a month. Please, can you let her sleep?”

Sylvia looked at Charlotte, who clung to her sleeve with pleading eyes.
When she looked closer, she saw Yulia had taken hold of Aslan’s hand in her sleep.
Clicking her tongue, Sylvia took a step back.

“I’ll let this slide for now.”

She closed the door gently.
Regardless of her insomnia, casting a sleep spell on a kid? What a pervert.
Sylvia would have stormed in to separate them immediately if it weren’t for the odd feeling.

Am I… trusting Aslan?

No, that couldn’t be right.
Surely not.
_______________________________________
TL note:

Hello, readers! ????

I hope you’re enjoying I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women. What do you think so far? Are you intrigued by Aslan’s wild journey and all the twists and turns? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so don’t forget to drop a comment and hit that like button! ????

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Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes us next! ????

— Your SataBog ❤️