NoveLight ™
“This Sword is so awesome...!”
“Don’t swing it around by mistake until we get back. You never know what might happen.”
“I’ll keep that in mind! Thank you so much, Uncle, and Yulia!!!”
“Uh...”
Charlotte ran off ahead, gleefully hugging the sword sheath. In contrast, Yulia was scowling, clearly displeased. She was being carried on Aslan’s back, unable to move.
“It’s annoying. Having to rely on you like this...”
“It can’t be helped. Sylvia is carrying things in both arms, and Charlotte is holding a huge sword. If you don’t like it, I can put you down. Do you want to walk by yourself?”
“I-I think it’s okay like this...”
Yulia bit her lip in frustration. There was no mention in the textbook about how painful mana depletion could be. She had only thought she would feel a bit weak and fatigued. But simply trying to move her muscles sent severe pain coursing through her, leaving her completely unable to lift even a finger.
‘Why do I keep relying on this man?’
It was ironic. I had always managed on my own. I had always been in a position of being relied upon rather than relying on others. Why was it that situations kept arising where I had to depend on him?
It was frustrating. The fact that to get some sleep, I had to go to this man was annoying. It annoyed me that I found myself seeking him out whenever I was scared. And it was also irritating that I couldn’t resist being carried like this.
But above all, what frustrated me the most was how I inexplicably found comfort in this broad back.
“Stop squirming. If you keep moving around in your state of mana depletion, it’ll hurt more.”
“How do you know that? You can’t even use mana.”
“...”
“Ah! I didn’t mean to be sarcastic! I was just... really curious and asked...”
Yulia was surprised by her own sharp words and stammered in embarrassment. Aslan secretly bit his lip to stifle his laughter.
“No, I’m genuinely curious... To be honest, I underestimated you at first. I thought you couldn’t handle mana and didn’t know anything. But you know quite a bit...”
“Someone has to know something, right? If you all are starting from scratch with no adults around to guide you, you’d flounder and mess things up. That’s all there is to it. Instead of thinking oddly, hurry up and grow up so you can contribute.”
“...”
Really, truly. Was this man genuinely just hoping for our growth? With no ulterior motives at all? Yulia felt a bit foolish about her previous self.
‘Ah. It’s a doll shop. They’re closing...’
As Aslan and the group passed by, Yulia’s gaze fixed on a doll shop. The lights flickered, dimmed, and went out as the shop closed for the day. When her eyes met the sleeping dolls inside the display case, memories of the past replayed in Yulia’s mind.
On a clear spring day. Under the director’s instructions, she was attaching eyes to the dolls, feeling a bit jealous of the beautiful weather. That day, a child had been called out. Outside the window, a couple was waiting with a large teddy bear.
They had come to find their child, lost in an accident long ago. She had never seen it before. Not an adoption, but actual parents coming to find their child. She still vividly remembered the child’s face, weeping as they were embraced by both parents.
And the happy expression of that child leaving the orphanage, holding the teddy bear. That moment was etched in Yulia’s mind, almost impossible to erase. It had been the happiest expression she had ever seen in the world.
“Now I understand why you’ve been so sulky. Just say it. Speak up.”
“What do you mean...?”
“You’ve achieved something, so weren’t you craving some praise? Just talk. If you keep your heart locked up, you won’t be appreciated anywhere you go.”
“Huh? Haaah!? There’s no way that’s true! What absurd assumptions are you making...? You’re annoying too! Put me down! I want to get down! Ugh!”
“See? You’re causing a ruckus, so it’s hurting again, isn’t it? Just stay still. If you’re that desperate for praise, I’ll give you a reward. How about that doll over there?”
“...I’m not a child.”
“By your reaction, it seems you like it.”
“...”
What? How did he know? It felt unpleasant. It was annoying. Yulia’s lips pouted out.
“Shopkeeper.”
“We’re closing... Oh, Lord Aslan!?”
“Delay the closing for a bit. I’ll be quick.”
“Of course. Please take your time looking around.”
“Choose one. Which do you prefer?”
“...The teddy bear.”
Yulia murmured in a small voice. Even if she felt uneasy, she had to pick something. She liked the teddy bear. Not the one without eyes, but a finished teddy bear...
“Oh dear. We’re completely out of teddy bears right now.”
“None at all? How is that possible?”
“Well, they’re quite popular...”
Ssshhh. The aura emanating from Aslan froze the shopkeeper in place.
“Shouldn’t you have at least one teddy bear on hand for emergencies like this?”
“W-What kind of emergency is this?”
“It’s an emergency where the lord must give a teddy bear to his slave as a reward. You should have been able to foresee that.”
“Uh...?”
“Tsk. When is the next shipment coming in?”
“It should be next month at the earliest...”
“Then I’ll pick something suitable. How about that shark plush?”
“...But I want the teddy bear.”
“Can’t be helped. Take it. Or I’ll drop it.”
“...”
Yulia snugly wedged the large shark plushie between her back and Aslan’s, hugging it tightly.
It was a blue shark that looked somewhat silly.
She didn’t like it.
Its appearance and color were completely different from that of a teddy bear.
“Plushie!? Can I also get a plushie?!”
“What have you done to deserve one? The sword you’re holding was obtained thanks to Yulia, wasn’t it? Accumulate some achievements like Yulia, and then you’ll get a reward. The Vermont family is going back to strict performance-based rewards.”
“If I accumulate achievements, you’ll give me a plushie! Right!?”
With her eyes sparkling, Charlotte dashed over to Sylvia, pleading, “Please teach me awesome swordsmanship!”
Meanwhile, Yulia quietly closed her eyes.
Soft and fluffy.
So this is how a plushie feels.
She hadn’t been able to hug one at the orphanage for fear of getting scolded.
If she closed her eyes, she wondered if the teddy bear would feel somewhat similar to this one.
“I’ll get you a teddy bear when the next shipment comes in.”
“...That’s fine. This is enough. Now that the annoying voices are gone, I can sleep hugging this instead of you.”
Upon closer inspection, the shark plushie actually looked quite cute.
‘It’s quite a tumultuous life...’
A necromancer who sees ghosts.
And now, on top of that, a dark knight wielding a cursed sword.
How did it come to this?
As she pondered, a headache began to throb at her temples.
‘No wonder I feel like some kind of demon lord.’
It was strange.
She had clearly brought the companions of the hero protagonist with her.
Yet when unboxed, they turned out to be figures resembling demon lord minions.
But were they really all that dark? One was a necromancer afraid of ghosts.
The other was...
“Hiya! Hiya! Swing it down hard! Kwang! Kwang!”
“...Looks like she’ll be at it all night.”
The one who had named the cursed sword with an absurd title was working harder than anyone else at training. No matter how you looked at it, her constitution didn’t seem villainous.
It felt like her talent had been optimized to villain status.
Of course, the one who had distorted her was none other than me, Aslan Vermont.
‘What would Yuria say if she saw them?’
Suddenly, a shiver ran through her body, making her feel cold all over.
She had intended to nurture and teach the two so that she could return them to Yuria one day.
But in this state, she couldn’t return them.
It would be obvious to anyone that they had been altered by Vermont and had turned into villainous companions of the hero.
They were genuinely good-natured people, but there were countless scum in this world who judged solely by appearances.
If left unchecked, they would end up becoming fearsome necromancers and dark knights serving the wicked Vermont family.
‘I need to change their image.’
The answer lay in changing the image.
If the issue was the image of the Vermont family, shouldn’t that be changed first?
Of course, many changes had already taken place in the territory, such as stopping oppressive politics and significantly lowering taxes.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
While it took only an instant for reputation to plummet, restoring a tarnished reputation required hundreds of times more effort.
Transforming the external image of the Vermont family would be a long and arduous journey.
The immediate means that came to mind was...
“Sylvia.”
“...”
“I know you’re hiding in the shadows over there. I can see you now. Come out before I dock your pay.”
“Did you call for me, Lord Soga? What brings you here at this late hour? I was just about to head to bed...”
“Rush to the document storage room right now and gather all documents related to the royal family... No, wait. Gather all documents containing the word 'royal family' and bring them to me.”
“...”
Getting closer to the royal family.
In this empire, where absolute monarchy rules, there was no better way to rise up.
Of course, until now, the Vermont family had practically been estranged from the royal family.
But today’s enemy could be tomorrow’s ally.
You never know what life holds.
To prosper, Vermont must catch the emperor’s eye.
“I have a lot of work.”
“I know.”
“I have a lot of work, really.”
“I know that too.”
“Then are you giving me more work...?”
“I thought you were too busy to be lurking in someone’s shadow. Fine. If you really are that busy, I’ll cancel this task. However, if I catch you resting even for a moment from now on, I’ll immediately dock your pay...”
“I’ll start right away.”
Good. That’s how it should be.
I didn’t understand why someone who lazes around all day would complain about being busy.
I’m working even while you’re sleeping.
I added, ‘Pick up Charlotte on your way and put her to sleep’ as I sent Sylvia off.
“Ugh. Should I get some sleep...?”
I didn’t plan on sleeping, but with my eyes open for so long, they were starting to feel dry and painful.
As I leaned back in my chair, about to close my eyes for a moment, the door creaked open cautiously.
“What is it?”
“Can you lend me a hand...? ...please?”
“...? ”
Standing before me was Yulia, hugging the shark plushie tightly to her chest.
Why her again?
Hadn’t the voices that had kept me awake as a necromancer finally disappeared?
No. To be more precise, it would be accurate to say that I had become able to subconsciously control them.
“Didn’t you say the voices disappeared? Is there some sort of problem?”
“That’s not it, it’s just that I can’t sleep... I think I’ve become unable to sleep without your hand now...”
I'm really going crazy.
____________________________________
TL note:
Hello, dear readers!
I hope you’re enjoying I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women! I’d love to hear your thoughts:
Your feedback is important, so please leave your comments! If you’re enjoying the story, consider liking this post and sharing it with friends.
Also, if you’d like to support my work, please check out the donation link below. Your support helps me keep bringing you more chapters! [ko-fi.com/satabog]
Thank you for being a part of this journey!
[SataBog]