The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 33 - Worry

"...Hmmm."

Lloyd chewed on the sedative, impressed.

His mind calmed down to a steady state.

And yet, his thought process didn’t slow down.

This was undoubtedly a well-balanced sedative.

“Did you make it in gum form to extend the duration?”

The alchemist who had been cautiously watching from the side suddenly lit up with excitement.

“You’re the first person to notice that! Yes, exactly! With sedatives, the effect is important, but so is the duration. If the calming effect suddenly wears off, it can lead to a worse outcome than before. So, to make the duration longer and ensure the effect is stable, I used gum base and Artisol leaves, and then...”

The boy’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.

His explanation poured out endlessly as if he was thrilled to meet someone who understood.

‘Does he not have any friends?’

Lloyd swallowed down this potentially rude thought.

After all, he didn’t have any friends either.

In any case.

“...But if you add alum powder, you could reduce the side effects even more. People are generally afraid to ingest metals, but some metals actually have medicinal properties and aren’t harmful to the body. Of course, they can be a cause of poisoning, so...”

As the boy continued to chatter, Lloyd had a moment to think.

Malio (a nameplate on the workbench indicated his name) was undoubtedly a talented alchemist.

Not only in making sedatives, but also in the various results displayed around the workbench.

Among them were high-level magic scrolls, known to be difficult to create.

“Ah! This one helps manifest space magic more efficiently...”

...And it seemed, given his talent, he also had a tendency to explain everything at length.

By now, Lloyd was curious.

With this level of skill, why wasn’t Malio running a large workshop, possibly a multi-story building, instead of this small place?

“...When you tear a scroll too quickly, the magic circle can distort, and the output won’t be right. But in urgent situations, people tend to tear scrolls quickly, so I designed this to prevent that...!!!”

Now, Malio’s voice had risen as if he were a sales representative.

‘Won’t he lose his voice like this?’

Recalling how the boy's voice had started out as a whisper, Lloyd shook his head.

“Malio.”

“So, with my scrolls, if you tear them... Yes? Ah... Yes!”

He was so immersed in his explanation that he blankly stared at Lloyd when his speech was interrupted.

Then, his face flushed bright red.

“S-sorry. I got carried away.”

“No, it was quite interesting.”

“R-really?!”

“Yes. But save the rest for later.”

“...Okay.”

Malio’s voice had returned to a timid whisper.

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Yet, he seemed a bit more confident than before.

Thinking it was a good time to ask, Lloyd posed his question.

“You seem like a very capable alchemist. Why is your workshop so small?”

Malio hung his head low.

“Well... There’s someone who doesn’t let me sell good products, saying it’s against market ethics.”

“They don’t let you sell them?”

“Yes. They say if I sell my products, they won’t be able to sell theirs... Sometimes they even come to the workshop and cause trouble. They also force me to buy their materials.”

“Even force you to buy?”

“After I refused to make drugs for them, they created some kind of fake debt, and now those guys come to harass me.”

Lloyd frowned.

They’re practically no different from common thugs.

“Are they from another workshop?”

“I don’t think so. They didn’t smell like copper. Ah! Alchemists usually have a smell of copper because it’s a commonly used material.”

“Then it must be a merchant guild.”

“A merchant guild?”

Lloyd nodded.

The only ones who could compete with an alchemist were either another alchemist or a merchant guild.

‘There’s something shady going on here, too.’

The hidden power in Eastan that Lloyd was searching for.

It felt like they might be connected to this.

“Do you have any more detailed information?”

“I’m not sure... But the voice was female. She always wore a hood, so I’ve never seen her face.”

A woman in a merchant guild.

It was broad information that applied to many people, but it also narrowed things down considerably.

Aside from that.

“Did you ever think of reporting it to the patrol or the inspectors?”

A complaint slipped out naturally.

Malio shook his head.

“No one helps the weak in Eastan. It’s a city ruled by strength.”

Malio glanced out the window.

The debt collectors stood outside with intimidating looks, holding various heavy tools.

Despite this, no one paid them any attention. Not even the patrol showed up.

‘A city of the survival of the fittest.’

Every small city has its unique atmosphere.

Eastan’s theme seemed to be brute force.

Lloyd thought of Karl.

The guy who groveled the moment he was defeated.

After some thought, Lloyd smirked.

“In other words, if I’m overwhelmingly strong, I can take control of Eastan, right?”

That’s actually good.

Trying to outthink people usually just leads to headaches and annoyance.

The best solution is to simply use brute force or magic.

—Buzz.

Lloyd lightly circulated mana through his circuits.

Up to mid-level spells, there seemed to be no resistance.

“Malio.”

“...Yes?”

“Those debt collectors outside, are they collecting debts legally?”

“Well... They’re charging a year’s worth of interest equal to the principal... It’s been two years now.”

Just as he thought.

“If I get rid of them, can you give me a discount?”

“Of course!”

Jingle.

A pouch of gold coins landed in front of Malio.

“S-so much!”

“From now on, focus on making sedatives. It’d be great if you could improve them even more. This should be enough to cover the principal, right?”

Lloyd took a few coins from the pouch, then opened the door and stepped out.

—Creak.

“I’ll protect this workshop.”

◆

“.......”

When Lloyd returned to the research institute, Princess Yulia greeted him.

Her eyes were sharp.

‘Chilling.’

Lloyd, who showed no outward sign of discomfort, simply nodded and tried to step into the room.

But Yulia blocked his way.

Lloyd tilted his head and asked.

“What is it?”

“We need to talk.”

The number one phrase no one wants to hear from their girlfriend.

Coming from a direct superior, it was just the worst thing to hear.

Lloyd was dragged into Yulia’s office like a cow to the slaughterhouse.

—Thud.

Yulia shut the door and immediately sighed.

“Lloyd. Be honest with me.”

“...Yes.”

“Did you get into a fight again?”

The princess’s question.

Lloyd’s eyes rolled around.

He felt like a mischievous elementary schooler being scolded by his mother.

‘It wasn’t really a fight, though.’

Lloyd was about to deny it, but then he flinched.

“...Just a little skirmish with some debt collectors in front of an alchemy workshop.”

It wasn’t much of a fight. He just restrained them like he did with Karl and Hector, said a few stern words, and paid off the workshop’s debt and principal.

He also warned them not to return, as this area was now under his protection.

That’s all there was to it.

“It wasn’t anything too intense.”

“I’d like you to refrain from doing that in the future.”

Yulia spoke firmly.

At this moment, she truly looked like an Estrid, a member of the imperial family.

Lloyd had to ask, though.

“Why?”

“You’re my advisor, Lloyd. And an advisor doesn’t use force. I’d like you to honor our contract.”

Of course, that made sense.

But Lloyd’s curiosity lay elsewhere.

After all, using force was something that ultimately benefited the princess as well.

Yulia’s explanation didn’t fully satisfy him. It was clear she was hiding something, some deeper reason. Lloyd stayed silent, watching her.

Soon, Yulia spoke again.

“...I don’t know if you’ve noticed.”

“Yes?”

“Every time you use your power, I can feel a presence within you gradually awakening.”

“A presence...? Do you mean Ortega?”

“Yes.”

Finally, Lloyd understood the look on Yulia’s face.

It wasn’t annoyance; it was worry.

Yulia possessed the Reverse Eyes, meaning she was the exact opposite of Ortega.

She must have a sharper sense of Ortega’s presence than anyone else.

“Are you saying that every time I use force, Ortega grows stronger?”

“It’s not exact. But when you defeated those thugs who came to the research institute, and just now too, I can feel your aura changing, ever so slightly. Like it’s turning red.”

“...Huh.”

He hadn’t noticed at all.

It wasn’t that Lloyd was insensitive.

His body was naturally extremely sensitive.

Which means...

‘Ortega must be very cunning.’

He’s taking cautious steps to take over the body.

That must be it.

Yulia’s blue eyes shimmered with concern as she continued.

“Of course, it’s not that I don’t trust you. Well... I’ve even grown attached to you. And I’m sure you can handle Ortega, but...”

Grown attached to me?

The princess casually muttered something quite shocking.

“That’s why I’m worried. Can you manage it?”

Worried.

It had been a long time since he’d heard that word.

Come to think of it, has anyone ever worried about me?

Lloyd quietly nodded.

The warmth he felt lasted only a moment.

“Excuse me, but I have a request!”

The first client had arrived.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]