Porridge is simply a mixture of water and rice.
If she had lived as an aristocrat, it would have been food she would not have even bothered to look at…
"…Um."
For some reason, as soon as Isabel saw me carrying the dishes, she knelt down on the floor and glanced at me.
It seems as if he is trying to confirm to me that he is doing well.
I don't know what you're trying to do.
As she gently placed the bowl on the table, Isabelle's eyes immediately began to fill with moisture.
No, do you really think I'm going to eat this?
As I slowly lifted the bowl again and walked towards Isabel, the corners of her eyes that had been filled with tears gradually returned to their original state.
"…gulp,"
Then, when she quietly placed the bowl on the floor, Isabel's face brightened.
It's so simple that you wonder if the kid is really a genius or something.
The moment I was about to bring the rest of the cutlery that I had left on the table.
"Taste, delicious… I will eat it…"
Isabel looked at me for a while, then put her head down in a bowl on the floor and ate.
He was even eating it with his hands, but as if it wasn't enough, he lifted the entire bowl and felt my eyes on him, so now he is only using his mouth to eat it.
"…Is that right?'
It sure wasn't something from a master magician… something like that?
In fact, even when she was still, she had a strong feeling of being a young lady who exuded an aristocratic atmosphere.
Put your head down on the floor and die! When I saw them eating deliciously, I felt like the nobility in me was completely shattered.
She was kneeling with her buttocks pushed out and swallowing something down her throat… It looked like something a bitch would do.
"Haup… lick, um… gulp,"
Isabel swallows the last grain of rice down her throat as if she were going to eat the entire bowl.
I stared at her for a moment, laughing as she finished a bowl of food in just three minutes.
"…Sit on the chair."
"Ah, yes… yes! Okay."
He reacts reflexively to my words and sits down in his chair.
My gaze slowly scans up and down.
First of all, thanks to my body being roughly washed with magic, there was no dirty or foul smell.
In fact, it smelled a little nice.
But it was nothing compared to Amelia.
"You've lived your whole life as an aristocrat, so that kind of food probably doesn't suit your taste. Is it that delicious?"
I said that while looking at Isabelle, who was quickly inhaling another bowl of porridge in front of me.
It certainly seems like they're following their dining etiquette well… Should I say it feels like it's doubled in speed? The speed at which the hands move is unusual.
"If someone… crawls… or complains… then, eh… I feel like they won't give me more food… so I'm really hungry."
"Huh?"
It feels like I have escaped the aristocratic mindset itself.
It seems like he's not a noble at all.
An ordinary noble would not be able to come up with such an idea.
'How dare you detain me?' or 'Are you ordering me this kind of food?!' Most people regret it after saying it.
It is impossible to find a nobleman who has no pride.
Because that's the common sense I learned in this world.
As I was resting my chin on a face that said I couldn't understand, Isabelle just stared at me for a while and then slowly opened her mouth.
"Well, I left home."
"You left home?"
"…I was kicked out for some reason."
Isabelle looked a little gloomy as she said that. Is there some kind of story?
"What happened?"
"Some kind of incident occurred within the family… I was accused of being the mastermind of the incident, yes. I got kicked out. I also had behavioral issues… I had no friends, so there was no one who would take my side."
The way you speak, the look in your eyes. Even the wriggling hand gestures.
There was no sense that she was lying.
But now something I've been curious about all along came to mind.
"But you're not scared of me? Are you fearless? They're like strangers you've known for less than 30 minutes… No, it's okay to talk to the kidnapper like that, isn't it?"
If a noble has been kidnapped, there are only two patterns.
1. Despair and denial of one's current situation. The type of person who falls into a state of panic.
2. On the other hand, the type of person who stands up with pride to the end.
But Isabel did not belong to either of these two patterns.
The only time he seemed scared to me was when he first opened his eyes, and after that, after showing excellent management skills and quickly understanding and recognizing his subject, he became completely obedient and behaved like a slave.
As I said before, my pride is at a level that is completely non-existent.
"…I was kidnapped, right?"
"Is that the reason?"
"Sorry, sorry. I'll think again and tell you…"
Isabel immediately began speaking with a tearful expression in her slightly harsh tone.
It's pretty cute to see it like this. You said you had no friends?
'She's pretty, she's got big breasts, and I think she would have been popular even if she combined these two things… Hmm, I guess I'll just go to Amelia and ask her again later.'
After thinking for a while, Isabel reluctantly opened her lips and spoke.
"Well, I'm… my current master's… property… in other words, a slave… right? In addition, I was a supporter of the mercenary group that tried to kill the master… I don't actually remember, but there was a time when I blocked the master's path…"
"You? Day?"
When I asked again as if I really didn't know, Isabelle continued speaking with a slightly shocked look on her face.
"That! The flames on the mountainside drew attention! He's a wizard…!! Don't you remember…?"
… Have you ever had a child like that?
"Um… Uh, I remember. It was a bit strong."
When I tried to answer in a half-hearted manner so as not to embarrass her, Isabelle looked shocked once again and looked like she was crying.
"So… I-I… Master, you saved me… even though I was in a group of people who threatened your safety, right? I don't know if I'm a hostage… or a negotiating tool… or if I'm destined to be sold to a slave trader… but,"
Isabel was trying to suppress her trembling right hand with her left hand.
"There is a rumor that if you become a slave… you will destroy all the magic circuits… I was trying to show you well… I'm sorry. I do…"
He was looking down at the floor with his shoulders hunched over with a pitiful expression, tears welling up in his eyes.
"You were kicked out of your family, and the Magic Tower heard you were a mess… Seeing that you have a witch-like nickname, it seems like everyone around you hates you."
"Yes… That's right, it just so happened… that's how it happened."
"…Hmm."
"Here, if I really… lose my magic… I, I…"
"Up to there. I understand why you obeyed."
Isabel raises her head for a moment, and the gaze she looks at me seems strangely uneasy.
Are you mistaken in thinking that I have already decided to destroy the circuit?
"If you don't lie to my questions and just follow my and Amelia's instructions, I won't touch your circuits at all, so if you don't want to lose all your magical power and magic circuits like you said, it would be better to cooperate."
"Ah, I understand. I'll tell you everything I know… Really… I'll listen carefully."
Perhaps because the situation is pushed to the edge of a cliff, it seems even more desperate.
Although it wasn't as good as Amelia. It looked a bit devastated.
"Back to the main topic. Then what happened to all the other mercenaries besides you?"
"All of them were killed or seriously injured… They suffered destruction-level damage right away… Of course, the chase team would have been dispatched by now."
I patted my chin and nodded.
"Even if the mercenaries kept their mouths shut… Well, that would have been worth it by now. Now, on a different topic, what is the situation at the top? I'm asking about Amelia."
"The high-ranking people… From what I heard, it looks like they are trying to kill Amelia as soon as possible. For that purpose, they were chasers and mercenaries… Perhaps, the swordsman may also be in the second chase party. No, I think Geomgong will definitely participate."
From earlier, Amelia was also a swordsman, a swordsman.
"Who is that swordsman and why do you keep emphasizing it like that?"
"The swordsman… is literally the best sword user in this kingdom. A top-notch person from the noble family of the Grand Duke of the North… an outsider, a dragon slayer… Well, he's only vaguely known. There are very few records of you appearing publicly. Most of the people who saw it died. Since he barely participated in the war, even if he did, he must have been a very high-ranking person."
"Hmm…"
First of all, he's probably stronger than me.
To do that, you need special training.
"How much longer do you think we can hide here?"
"First of all… assuming there is no shortage of food and water… I think we can hide for at least a month or two. Most of the rangers specialized in pursuit are dead, and even if they remain, it will be difficult to find them due to the heavy rain."
Well… I'll stop here and call Amelia to do the rest.
There is something that needs to be done first.
-Sure.
When I pulled out a potion bottle out of the air, Isabelle looked at me in surprise.
"Uh, how did you do it…? A, suddenly something appears out of thin air…"
"It's just my ability. There's no way you can go back to them just because you saw it anyway, and even if you go back and tell them, you'll probably die before you can say it. For the crime of disclosing information."
Probably from the time she was kidnapped by me, there was nowhere for her to return to.
The only person she can trust right now is me or herself.
I guess I was a little shocked to hear about my situation directly from my own mouth. She continued speaking hastily.
"Oh, that… I'm sorry for being so arrogant… I won't ask you anything like this from next time… Please, at least that much…"
Why does it seem like all the women around me choose their words so damn wrong?
It's a bit extreme, but…
The same goes for Amelia. That's why I feel anxious about sensitive topics.
Amelia no longer feels insecure in her relationship with me. A romantic relationship with complete trust.
However, on the other hand, now I feel anxious about losing that relationship, so whenever a story related to that comes up, I often end up talking gibberish like Isabelle does now.
[ Magic Limiting Potion – (Price – 1 point) ]
Ability: Temporarily limits the target's magic recovery ability.
This effect lasts for one week unless you drink the magic limiting potion antidote.
It's clear that Isabel has nowhere to return to right now. At the same time, it is also true that it is still difficult to trust people.
Even if she can't harm me right away. If I touch Amelia in any other way… I don't think I can stay sane.
"Now, take off your clothes first."
"…Yes?"
Isabel quietly looks at me.
But on the other hand, I also tilted my head.
"This is a potion to apply on the body."
"… Yes?"
"As much as he was called a genius. Your magic circuit is spread throughout your body, right? Then take them all off."
"….Ah."