I Kidnapped the Hero’s Women

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 72 - Like Mice

“Charlotte… Julia… What on earth happened to you two…?”

Step by heavy step.

Yuri trudged along, muttering to himself in a daze, his eyes empty.

The relentless string of unbelievable events had left him mentally exhausted.

“Haha… Is this a dream? It has to be a dream, right?”

Yuri had already entered the stage of denial.

The reality was simply too much for him to accept.

How could Charlotte, once so bright and pure, now be a dark knight wielding such a terrifying, ominous sword?

How could Julia, so kind and thoughtful, now control a fearsome evil spirit as a necromancer?

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Very wrong.

“Aslan Vermont…!”

What on earth had Aslan Vermont done to Charlotte and Julia?

Had he locked them away in a pitch-black room?

Fed them from dog bowls, degrading their dignity?

Forced them into horrific dark magic research?

The more he imagined, the more his heart burned with frustration.

Even now, Charlotte and Julia were surely suffering.

Yet here I am, still this weak.

When Charlotte was singlehandedly fending off hundreds of ant monsters…

When Julia used that evil spirit to collapse the entire ant colony…

I could barely manage to bind a dozen ants’ legs! That’s how weak I am!

Yuri clenched his fists tightly as he dwelled on his own powerlessness.

“But still… I have to show them that I’m doing my best to save them…!”

With that singular thought, Yuri pressed forward.

No matter how much Charlotte and Julia had changed.

No matter what Aslan Vermont had done to them.

As long as their hearts hadn’t fully surrendered, there was still hope.

As long as their spirits hadn’t completely succumbed to that monstrous man, there was still a chance.

I haven’t given up on you two yet.

I’m fighting, struggling to bring you back.

If I can just let Charlotte and Julia know this—if I can give them hope—that will be enough.

“As long as you two haven’t given up, there’s always a way…!”

Yuri forced his heavy legs to move, ascending the mountain slope that had been reduced to rubble.

And finally, the sight that Yuri beheld was…

“Mister? What were you doing down there…?”

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“You did well, Charlotte. I watched everything from a distance. You’ve gotten really good at controlling your aura. You’ve improved a lot.”

“Ehehe! You saw everything? I wasn’t doing it to get praised, but I’m a bit embarrassed now…!”

“Stop dodging the question and answer me, Aslan! What were you doing, hugging Sylvia like that…?”

“Julia, your timing with the command spell was perfect. I’m alive because of you. Thank you.”

“H-hmph. Well, I am pretty perfect, aren’t I? …Aren’t I?”

Charlotte and Julia, wearing faint smiles, looked rather pleased as they received head pats from Aslan Vermont.

Yuri’s jaw dropped.

But no words came out.

A silent scream rang out as Yuri collapsed to his knees.

‘They’ve already been brainwashed…?’

His mind went blank.

At that moment, even the tiniest shred of hope shattered.

Yuri’s world crumbled.

‘No… Charlotte and Julia aren’t that easy to manipulate. Charlotte might seem innocent, but she’s clever, and Julia is incredibly smart…!’

Suddenly, Yuri snapped back to his senses.

There’s no way Charlotte and Julia would fall for a weakling like that!

It didn’t make sense.

They must be acting!

They’re pretending to go along with Aslan Vermont to avoid provoking him.

They’re hiding their true feelings, just waiting for the day I come to rescue them…!

‘Just wait, Aslan Vermont! The day I surpass Instructor Sylvia, I’ll take Charlotte and Julia back…!’

Grinding his teeth.

Yuri glared at Charlotte and Julia, who were subtly inching closer to Aslan.

Even though he knew they were just acting, the sight was enough to make his heart ache.

.

.

.

“Ugh… the sunlight…”

“You’re acting like a vampire, mister!”

After the chaos of the night finally settled, the first sunrise appeared.

Under the morning sun, the state of Arient was laid bare, and it was nothing short of devastation.

Countless buildings had been crushed under the rampaging ant monsters.

It looked like the aftermath of a tsunami.

The only silver lining was that there hadn’t been a single fatality, aside from a few people who twisted their ankles while running.

Thanks to the swift evacuation efforts of the Vermont Security personnel, everyone had made it out safely.

And because all the residents had been quickly moved inside the castle walls, the monsters hadn’t caused unnecessary destruction in the residential areas, focusing their rampage on the castle itself.

Aside from the buildings in the direct path of the monsters, everything else was untouched.

Though it wasn’t intentional, Sylvia’s quick response and sound judgment had saved both lives and property.

“Brother! Are you unharmed? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Other than some muscle pain, I’m perfectly fine. No need to worry.”

“Thank goodness! Truly, thank goodness! I was so worried about you…!”

Even though it was his own territory that had been wrecked, Count Arient seemed more concerned about me.

Was he always this thoughtful?

I had thought he was just waiting for me to die.

This was a bit touching.

“I’m exhausted and not in my right mind right now, but before I collapse, let me make a few promises. First, the Vermont Security personnel will help rebuild the village.”

“Wh-what…?!”

The ant monsters had ravaged the training grounds, leaving them in ruins and making any further training impossible for the time being.

Paying employees to sit idle would be a waste.

So, we might as well have them help with Arient’s reconstruction and score some points.

“And Vermont will also provide partial financial support for the restoration efforts.”

“A-aaah…!”

Arient’s finances were already in bad shape, and pouring money into reconstruction would push them closer to collapse.

But if I can keep the golden goose from dying, the medicine bill is a small price to pay.

Even if we covered all the restoration costs, it wouldn’t amount to nearly as much as the interest Arient has paid us so far.

“I’m truly at a loss for words… How can I ever repay you?!”

“Heh, don’t mention it. But I do have one small request…”

“S-sure, anything. Just say the word, and I’ll do it. Absolutely.”

His voice wavered just now.

As I eyed him suspiciously, the Count’s pupils darted about.

“B-but, what… exactly is the request…?”

“It’s about what happened last night. The townspeople…”

“Of course! We’ll make sure to keep everyone’s mouths shut! None of us in Arient saw anything last night! We’ll say we woke up in the middle of the night to some loud noises, and when we checked, the monster nest had already been destroyed! I’ll make sure of it!”

“That’s not it. I was actually going to ask you to spread the word about what happened.”

“Wh-what…?”

Am I crazy? Why would we cover this up?

“It was a spectacular debut for a necromancer and a dark knight, wasn’t it? By the way, the necromancer’s name is Julia, and the dark knight’s name is Charlotte. Please help spread the word widely.”

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ nods in agreement.]

Charlotte had shown off her impressive aura, and while Julia’s appearance was… less than impressive, she had successfully demonstrated her ability to control the Great Spirit.

With this kind of performance, the whole continent should be buzzing with the news.

No way I’d let this amazing story stay confined to Arient and Vermont.

We had to spread it far and wide.

Make Charlotte and Julia famous.

Raise their value until they naturally earned the 10 billion larks.

Once they’re fully independent—with wealth, power, and a sense of responsibility—then they can return to Yuri.

Of course, they’d still be grateful to me and might even come back to marry me, but that’s a story for another day.

No need to rush things.

I decided to be patient.

“Necromancer and dark knight… You’re not saying… No, never mind! I’ll do everything you ask, brother! I swear!”

“Thank you.”

“No, no! Thank you!!!”

The Count of Arient bowed repeatedly, shaking my hand vigorously.

Alright, let’s keep the fact that the ant monster outbreak was our fault a secret forever.

Technically, it was more Earthy’s fault anyway.

How do you forget that you’ve sealed away a monster?

We didn’t really need to feel any responsibility here.

“Let’s start heading back. Sylvia, check on the employees for injuries or any special incidents, take care of things, and then head home.”

“So I don’t get to sleep yet…?”

“I’ll give you paid leave until tomorrow.”

“I’ll handle everything perfectly and report back, sir. You can count on me.”

Sylvia saluted, her sleepy eyes wide open.

She’s reliable as always.

With Sylvia handling things, I had nothing to worry about.

Trusting she’d take care of it, I climbed into the carriage.

After wandering around the ant nest and being buried underground, the soft seat was pure bliss.

It felt like my body was melting into it.

If I could sleep, I would’ve passed out right there.

‘I feel hazy. Must’ve overexerted myself.’

I wasn’t sleepy, but my vision blurred, and my body felt heavy.

It wasn’t sleep I needed—it felt more like I was about to faint.

If I didn’t rest and recover soon, I might actually lose consciousness.

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ advises you to take a proper rest.]

‘Alright. I’ll take it easy today.’

I was being forced into a rest day.

When was the last time I had a full day off?

Thinking about it, there hadn’t really been one.

It was the perfect time for a break.

Just as the carriage was arriving at the mansion, I opened my eyes and tried to sit up.

“Hmm… Mmm.”

“Don’t go…”

“…”

My arms were trapped.

Come to think of it, the kids had been awfully quiet on the way back.

At some point, they had each claimed one of my arms and fallen sound asleep.

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ notices how tired our dark knight and necromancer look and orders you to stay still like mice, not waking them up!]

Hey. You told me to rest.

Now I’m supposed to just sit here, frozen in this awkward position?

“Haa…”

I couldn’t lift them anyway, not with my current strength.

Resigned, I relaxed and let myself sink back down.

The position might be a bit uncomfortable.

But the sound of their soft breathing tickling my arms was strangely soothing.

It was perfect for resting.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]