The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 14 - Recovery

The world shattered into countless shards as Lloyd's vision was filled with thin lines.

— Flash!

Suddenly, his surroundings brightened.

Lloyd looked around blankly, his eyes taking in the familiar setting.

Simple wooden furniture.

A low bed.

It was the same room he had been assigned to before he was dragged into the mindscape.

Still sitting on the bed, Lloyd covered his face with both hands.

"Huff, huff... Huff."

His breath came out in ragged gasps, his body drenched in sweat as if he'd just woken from a nightmare.

But Lloyd knew better. The experience he just had was no mere dream. He could still feel the lingering echo of the severance spell he had used against Ortega on his fingertips.

In his current body, Lloyd couldn't perform such advanced magic. His mana circuits were too damaged—too blocked. The young "Lloyd" had been too gifted, his overwhelming talent damaging his circuits. It was the fate of a genius who hadn't laid the proper foundations.

That residue from the spell was a stark reminder that what he had just experienced was all too real. The fallen Emperor Ortega. Another mystery that required investigation.

'...Just how powerful is he?'

A calamity beyond comprehension.

That's how Lloyd felt when he faced Ortega in the mindscape. If the Demon King had given off an impression of being a foe he could struggle against, Ortega was different. His abilities were unfathomable, his level impossible to gauge. It was like being a two-dimensional ant looking up at a three-dimensional human.

But the real problem was this:

Ortega wanted his body. It wasn't a coincidence that he heard the voice whenever his mind was weakened. Each time, Ortega had whispered temptations of revenge, urging Lloyd to drench himself in blood.

'He likely regains strength by consuming blood.'

The only relief was that Ortega didn't seem to be in good condition, for whatever reason. Given his personality, Ortega wouldn't be one to tolerate being held back. He would never quietly remain dormant within Lloyd's body. This suggested that Ortega had no way to take control—at least, not yet.

Somehow, Lloyd needed to keep Ortega suppressed. The idea of Ortega taking over his body was unthinkable. If that happened, the result would be a catastrophe far beyond what the Demon King could ever cause.

"...Are you alright?"

Lloyd had been so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed the presence of someone standing before him.

It was a young man in a butler's uniform.

"Who are you?"

"I am Ron, and I have been assigned to attend to you, Lloyd."

"...A servant? But I am also just a servant in this mansion."

Assigned to attend to him? But Lloyd was essentially a slave here, wasn't he? The whole situation was strange, but Lloyd shook his head. This was just one more oddity in a sea of more pressing concerns.

"...I don't know exactly what's going on, but leave me alone for now. That will be enough."

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"Yes, understood."

The butler bowed deeply.

For a moment, Lloyd caught a glimpse of a fleeting change in his expression. But he chose to ignore it.

— Click.

Once Ron had left the room, Lloyd collapsed onto the bed.

His back was soaked, his clothes drenched in sweat.

It must have been from his struggle against Ortega.

Ortega remained the problem.

Lloyd was certain now: Ortega was no longer human. He had witnessed something that surpassed humanity—a "being" beyond even the Demon King's grasp. Could he keep such a being trapped within him?

"...No."

Even if Ortega was somehow restrained now, he would eventually break free, one way or another. And when that happened, the overwhelming power he wielded would come with him.

"......"

In the end, the important question was this:

Could he fight Ortega?

This wasn't about protecting the world from Ortega. This was about Lloyd's own survival.

The answer was clear.

He needed to become stronger.

Strong enough to fight Ortega.

Lloyd sat up and crossed his legs.

He exhaled slowly, focusing on his body.

The original "Lloyd" was a child born with exceptional talent.

His problem was that his sensitivity to mana was too high, leading to the damage of his circuits. To avoid further damage, Lloyd had been suppressing his abilities. One misstep could throw off his calibration and burn out his circuits entirely.

'I intended to recover slowly.'

He had planned to take his time, to recover carefully and accurately. Saving the world was a vow he had abandoned long ago. He had planned to take it slow—until Ortega appeared.

'This is an opportunity.'

The mindscape.

The fight with Ortega had allowed him to experience a fully functional mana circuit. It was as if he had been given a glimpse of the answer sheet for restoring his circuits.

He needed to seize this experience.

Lloyd began to channel mana through his circuits.

He had a new goal.

To become stronger.

◆

In the Gray Duchess's office.

A masked man was reporting to her.

"It's about Lloyd."

"Yes?"

"We've been keeping a close watch on him, but nothing unusual has been observed."

Tap, tap, tap.

The Duchess tapped her fingers on the armrest of her chair before speaking.

"That child has an unusually large vessel. Don't let your guard down. Is the Gu worm infestation progressing well?"

"Yes. Judging by the intensity of the markings, it's over 60% complete."

"He's likely finding it hard to maintain his sanity by now."

"But..."

The man's hesitant tone caused the Duchess to frown deeply.

"Speak."

"He's holding up better than expected. He seemed mentally exhausted before, but he hasn't deteriorated further. He's not a child who's weak of mind."

The Duchess couldn't help but agree.

She had known from the start that Lloyd was mentally strong. From the way he carried himself during their first meeting at the auction to the way he answered her without fear on his first day at the mansion—Lloyd had the composure of a prince, despite his young age.

His vessel was large.

Large enough to contain 'him.'

At the same time, she found herself increasingly fascinated by his mind.

She was beginning to think of him less as a 'vessel' and more as a potential advisor.

The Duchess, lost in thought for a moment, finally spoke.

"Let's push the children further."

"Push them further, you say?"

"Give Lloyd more privileges. Make the others' lives harder. I want them to start playing politics among themselves."

"And if Lloyd is attacked as a result..."

"Then we'll see some answers."

It was nearly impossible to maintain calm while harboring 'him' in one's heart.

She intended to push Lloyd into further chaos.

The Duchess made her decision.

"Next on the agenda. The 13th Princess, Princess Julia, wishes to visit the mansion..."

◆

The tasks assigned to the children captured by the Gray Duchy were predictable.

They were treated as little more than slaves.

They were forced to do all kinds of menial labor while being subjected to harsh treatment.

And after their work hours were over, they were gathered together.

In one of the mansion’s vast training grounds.

"You're all too slow! Anyone who arrives late won't get to sleep tonight!"

Under the pretext of raising proper members of the Blood Cult, they were put through rigorous training. On the surface, it was a somewhat structured physical training regimen. True to their heretical nature, however, the exercises focused more on quickly forcing results than on building a solid foundation.

Take, for example, the manipulation of mana.

Lloyd recalled that the Blood Cult was notorious for its suicidal attacks.

Normally, one would begin with mana sensitivity training, gradually building up from there, but the cult used mysterious pills to forcibly open the children’s mana channels.

As a result, the children, now able to wield unstable magic, began to develop a vague sense of loyalty toward the Blood Cult.

'...Fools.'

Most of them were commoners or low-ranking nobles. Having gained the ability to use magic, their spirits soared.

"Today, we’ve hidden mana orbs in the nearby forest. The last three to return will be properly beaten. Now, go find them."

Clap, clap, clap.

The clapping made Lloyd instinctively frown.

He swallowed the beast within him that threatened to emerge.

And then—

"Run!"

At the leader's command, Lloyd quickened his pace. The search area was outside the mansion. He briefly considered the possibility of escape, but quickly shook his head. Such an attempt would make him a fugitive. The ten-year slave contract that bound him meant that his actions were heavily restricted.

He would grow stronger and bide his time.

This was Lloyd's firm resolution.

— Thud, thud, thud!

As he ran around the mansion's perimeter, it wasn’t long before someone approached him.

"Hey."

Lloyd turned toward the voice, frowning. As expected, it was Hector.

"What is it?"

Hector quickly caught up to him.

He seemed to be holding back, as if trying to show Lloyd that he could easily overtake him but was choosing to run alongside him.

Hector smirked and spoke.

"How is it that you seem to get all the good stuff, Lloyd?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, I’d love to know how you do it. What did you do, sleep with the Duchess or something? I didn't think she had that kind of taste."

He was implying that Lloyd had sold his body.

What a dirty mind.

Lloyd responded with irritation.

"Well, I doubt you have anything worth selling."

Hector's fists clenched in anger, his body trembling.

It was the kind of taunt he expected.

But as Lloyd came to his senses, he realized that more figures were surrounding him.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]