Chapter 12
Feeling thoroughly refreshed, I walked down the street holding Theo's hand.
I did feel like I'd gone a little too far, but honestly, I was really angry back there.
Orc meat...
Orcs were nothing but trauma for me. There was no way I could stomach the meat of one of those things.
Theo seemed to enjoy it, but to me, it was revolting. I kept forcing myself to eat, and could hardly stop myself from spitting it out.
If Theo hadn't been there, I would've snapped that guy's arm in a heartbeat. Honestly, I let him off easy.
“So, is that everything you wanted to do?”
Theo asked me, looking utterly drained.
“No! Let's look around a little longer before we head back.”
Theo looked somewhat dissatisfied, but since it was my wish, he didn't say anything.
He was probably tired. I was a little tired too.
But we still hadn't run into those guys, so if we went back now, everything I'd prepared would be for nothing.
But Theo's expression...
“Did you not have fun today?”
Maybe I was the only one who'd enjoyed myself a little?
Or was it because I'd let my anger show earlier?
“No, it's not like that.”
My nonexistent fox ears seemed to perk up.
“Did you have fun?”
“Haa, yes. I had fun.”
He sounded like he was forcing himself a little, but at least he didn't seem to hate it, which was a relief.
I hoped this meant we'd become a little closer.
When I was a fox, we hugged each other as soon as we met, and it was nice. Now that I was human, even getting close to him was so hard.
Maybe I should meet Theo as a fox again sometime?
“I told you not to do business here!!”
Crash!
“Aaaagh!”
Just then, a loud noise came from up ahead. When I looked that way, I saw a crowd gathered, just like when the arm-wrestling match had been going on earlier.
I had a feeling. They'd started!
“Theo, hurry and go take a look!”
“...”
He looked like he didn't want to, but this wasn't the time to hesitate!
I forcibly tugged on his arm and headed that way. Fortunately, Theo didn't put up much of a struggle and followed along.
“Why are you doing this?!”
“Q-Quiet!! Boys, smash everything!”
Crash! Another loud racket came from inside the shop.
Wow, maybe I'd been too unreasonable with my request. They were terrible at acting.
And what had the shopkeeper done to deserve this...
“Ray, stop them!”
I called to Theo, practically bursting with anticipation like a child watching a hero.
Surely a righteous man like Theo couldn't just stand by and watch his people being persecuted like this...
“Why should I? The guards will be here soon and take care of it...”
But it seemed Theo was an ordinary citizen, not a hero.
Logically, he was right, but...
This wasn't the reaction I was hoping for.
I rose onto my tiptoes and brought my mouth close to his ear.
“Master, you have to save the people of your territory!”
“That's the guards' job.”
Why? Why was this happening? Had I oversimplified things?
But the Theo I knew... No, was this the Theo I'd hoped for?
This was a problem. Hmm...
I had no choice.
Beady, it's time to get to work for the first time in a while!
I pulled out Beady, whom I'd made small, and held it up in front of his eyes,
“Theo, look over here.”
“Hm?”
[Hypnosis]
I activated the skill.
At the same time, the focus vanished from Theo's eyes.
Good. All set.
“Theo, save that merchant. Reveal your identity in the coolest way possible!”
“...Understood.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Theo strode into the crowd.
Just in case, I drew out a little spiritual energy and pushed it into his body.
Judging by the magic power I could sense from his body and his developed muscles, I didn't think Theo was weak, but I'd feel guilty if he got hurt, even by some small chance.
“Stop! I am Theo Rebellin, lord of Rebellin!”
At Theo's shout, the noisy crowd fell silent in an instant,
and everyone's gaze turned toward him.
Oh, cool.
I've always thought Theo had a nice voice.
“Theo Rebellin?! Why is the lord here...”
“My lord... sob...”
“Tch, everyone, drop your weapons!”
The boss was acting much better this time.
But this wasn't the situation I'd been hoping for.
I didn't want them to be taken in so mechanically.
Hmm, who should I choose... The boss is probably best, right?
[Puppetry]
I activated the skill on the spiritual energy inside Daiham's body.
Then he suddenly lowered his head,
“Theo Rebellin! Do you think that just because you're the lord of this land, you can arrest me, Daiham, leader of the major criminal organization [Hades]?! ”
“B-Boss?”
“What are you doing?!”
The underlings beside him seemed startled by Daiham's sudden outburst and tried to stop him in panicked voices, but Daiham ignored them and raised his blade toward Theo.
Good! And...
‘How dare you point a sword at me, Theo Rebellin...’
“How dare you point a sword at me, Theo Rebellin...”
‘Come at me. I'll show you the difference in our skill.’
“Come at me. I'll show you the difference in our skill.”
Theo repeated exactly what I'd told him, without missing a single word, but a sword?! He didn't have one!
Hmm, let's use that wooden stick lying over there.
People might like seeing him defeat someone with a sword using something like that even more.
Snatch!
“You dare face me with a stick like that?”
“Enough talk. Come at me.”
“Fine! Here I come!!”
Then first, Daiham swings like this!
Whoosh!
Theo dodges to the left and kicks!
Wham!
“Ghk...”
Hmm, would it make him look weak if the boss was the only one taking hits?
But I don't want Theo to get hit...
Right, let's do that!
“You're strong, Theo Rebellin, but can you really stop my ultimate attack?!”
At the same time, a purple aura flickered around the boss's blade.
“It's aura!!”
“That man really was Daiham!”
“Could he really be the Arm Hunter?”
Thankfully, the onlookers provided the commentary, so I didn't need to do anything.
“Hmph, not bad. But your aura is no match for even my wooden stick.”
“How arrogant, Theo Rebellin!!”
Daiham kicked off the ground and closed the distance to Theo in an instant.
He was easily twice as fast as before.
His blade was aimed at Theo's neck. A mere wooden stick couldn't block aura.
Everyone knew that, but things were different with Theo now.
I moved the spiritual energy I'd put in Theo's body earlier over to the wooden stick he was holding and wrapped it around the stick as if forming aura.
Then, as if Theo were deflecting the blow with proper swordsmanship...
Sizzle!
He angled the wooden stick and deflected Daiham's attack, then, while Daiham was left defenseless, swung Theo's left elbow at him,
“Guhk!”
Daiham was hit and sent flying with a thump! Seeing their boss fly away, his underlings all dropped to their knees at once.
“Pathetic.”
And to finish it off, Theo delivered an arrogant line.
“W-Waaah!!”
“The lord is incredible!!”
“I had no idea the lord was that strong!!”
The cheers began with people gathering around Theo, then rang out and filled the entire wide street.
Patter.
“M-My lord!!”
“Make way, make way!”
Then the guards appeared, parting the crowd as if it had all been planned.
Of course, it had been planned.
As we'd walked through town today, I'd put spiritual energy into every guard I spotted, so I could make them show up at just the right moment.
Then, lastly...
“Take them into custody. Then punish them in accordance with due process.”
“Yes, sir!”
Then Theo walked over toward me,
and the spectators blocking the way instantly parted to either side, clearing a path for him.
And somehow, that looked so cool.
Honestly, it would've been even better if he'd done it of his own free will...
But I couldn't afford to make a mistake right at the end.
“Let's go.”
“Yes, Master.”
I went back to being his maid, respectfully assisting him at his side as we left the street.
If rumors about Theo being a playboy spread again later, I wanted to pass them off as a cover for his secret patrols to catch those criminals.
We headed toward the mansion, and when there were almost no people around,
I caught Theo as he swayed and collapsed.
I'd forced his body to move with spiritual energy, so the temporary strain had knocked him unconscious. He'd wake up soon, so I decided we could rest for a bit and sat him down on a bench in the garden near the mansion.
Hmm, would his neck hurt if I left him like this?
I pulled the limp Theo toward me and laid him across my lap. His face looked somehow at ease.
I reached out and touched his face here and there, and each time I did, Theo frowned a little, as if he didn't like it.
But I didn't like seeing him frown, so I gently stroked his forehead.
“I wish you'd smile like you used to...”
The Theo from back then was really cool... No, handsome... No, that's not it either...
Anyway, I missed that innocent-looking smile from before.
And I wished he'd hold me gently, like he did then.
But the Theo now was a different person from that warm boy back then.
I'd heard it in the maids' chatter.
Theo had lost his precious younger sibling in an accident in the past.
If so, wouldn't it be hard to see Theo become cheerful again, like he was back then?
Because I, too... If Theo hadn't come there that day, and I'd lost Lazuli,
I wouldn't have been able to go on living properly.
So maybe I'd never see that same smile again.
“I don't... like that.”
I reached out toward the sleeping Theo.
Like Theo had gently stroked me that night to comfort me...
“You!!”
But at the sharp voice that rang out then, my hand stopped before it could touch Theo's face,
Irritated by the sudden interruption, I lifted my head and looked toward the source of the voice.
“What are you doing right now?”
There stood a woman with brown hair in a bun, glaring at me with a fan in one hand.
Her dress looked incomparably more luxurious than the one I was wearing, and the jewelry adorning her seemed quite expensive.
On top of that, she had several people around her who looked like attendants.
This woman was a noble.
“Who are you?”
“I'm Ellis Verdia.”
I'd heard that name somewhere.
It was definitely the letter I'd seen in Theo's room...
“I'm the fiancée of the man over there.”
“What?!”
Theo's fiancée?